Going head to head with Parkinson's

Feb. 16, 2016

By Rebecca KitchenCARSON CITY, Nev. (KOLO) 

Speed, agility, and strength all step into center ring during a Monday nigh boxing class at Tazmanian Boxing Club in Carson City. But if you take a look around at the boxers in the class, you'll notice something a little different about them. 

Randy Putzer has been putting on his boxing gloves for a few months now- ever since he was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. It may seem like an odd time to pick up the sport, but it's actually part of a new therapy taking off across the country. 

It's called Rock Steady Boxing. 

"If you think about all the things that affect Parkinson's and all the things boxing does, they kind of counteract each other completely," Nina Vogel, a physical therapist who brought the program to Carson City. "So with boxing you're working on power, on strength, on agility. You're working on coordination, on speed. With Parkinson's what's reduced? Your speed, your timing, your poisture, your power, your strength."

Rock Steady Boxing was founded ten years ago in Indianapolis by former Marion County Prosecutor, Scott C. Newman, who is living with Parkinson’s. It helps people living with the disease fine tune their motor skills."I think it gives people a lot of hope," Vogel said. "It's not just a support group where we complain about problems. It's really fighting back and that's the whole motto of the program."

Putzer agrees. 

"Love coming," he said. "It's camaraderie. Everyone here has the same problem. It gives you a lot of hope." 

Vogel says watching how people change when participating in the program is inspiring. 

"Their posture I think is what you see right away," she said. "Posture improves, confidence improves. You know, you see the light in their eyes. So that masked face you get with Parkinson's is improved. All of those things you see pretty quick." 

Putzer has been a part of the program since it started in Carson. 

"There's things I couldn't do," he said. "I didn't realize I couldn't do them and I'm doing them now. Movements, leg movements, balance, coordination."

But Rock Steady Boxing goes beyond the physical. 

"Being in a group setting, it targets all the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's- the depression, the apathy, the sleep problems," Vogel said. "So it's a really great balance for everything. People are really encouraged when they come. You'll hear them in class, 'Alright ! Come on!'"

Vogel says people are often intimidated to join but quickly change their mind as soon as they see how it works. She says one thing that can hold people back is thinking their disease is too progressed, but Rock Steady Boxing works with people in all different stages. 

"We can adapt anything," she said. "Everyone knows if you can't do the jumps, you do squats. We have all different levels and all different ages, but everyone has the same goal in mind and I think that's what makes it cool."

There are plans in place to expand the program into Reno. Vogel says they are fundraising right now to send the head of the Tazmanian Boxing Club to Indianapolis for training in the program. If you'd like to help you can send checks to the Tazmanian Boxing Club at 1701 S. Sutro Terrace in Carson City.

You can find more information on classes by clicking on the attached link or by emailing Vogel directly at rocksteadyboxingcarsoncity@gmail.com

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