Giving Parkinson's the one-two punch

By Melanie Tucker melt@thedailytimes.com

August 16, 2016

Vickie Goad helps her husband Lee take off his boxing gloves after the Rock Steady class at Title Boxing Club in Knoxville. Rock Steady is designed for individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

When Zach Guza’s dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease years ago, his doctor told him to go home, sit down, take his medications and wait to die.

Six years later, he passed away.

“He was never told about the benefits of exercise or anything like that,” Guza said. “He just sat down. It was a downslide from there.”

Guza’s dad passed away in 2013, but watching this neurodegenerative disease rob his father of his abilities to get around, speak and enjoy life had a profound impact on Guza. This personal trainer found a program offered to Parkinson’s patients that doesn’t cure their disease but it certainly gives Parkinson’s a definitive one-two punch.

Rock Steady Boxing gets Parkinson’s patients out on the mat for some footwork and sparring action. The men and women in the class spend 30 minutes on warmup exercises, 30 minutes with the punching bag, working on jabs and then several minutes of stretching. They don’t box against one another. Each has his or her own punching bag and other equipment.

Guza’s Rock Steady classes are held at Title Boxing Club on North Peters Road in Knoxville. Men and women of all ages and stages of Parkinson’s participate.

It’s been three years now since Guza started Rock Steady in Knoxville. He said there are more than 200 affiliates across the country. He and the others who teach the program must attend training in Indianapolis.

The program was founded in 2006 by Scott C. Newman, in Indiana. He has Parkinson’s. He opened a small gym and boxing ring in a donated corner of a corporate employee gym as Rock Steady’s first gym.

Lace up your gloves

On a recent Monday morning, about 12 Parkinson’s patients arrived at the Knoxville club to get moving. Lee Goad, 72, was one of them. A resident of Loudon County, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s 12 years ago.

Lee’s wife Vickie accompanies him to the gym twice a week. “He loves the boxing,” she said. “It is so helpful. It’s a shame more people don’t know about it.”

As with many Parkinson’s patients, a diagnosis wasn’t made quickly. One physician even told them Lee doesn’t have Parkinson’s, but they finally got a correct diagnosis. The first sign was a trembling in his hand.

He may be a little slower than some, but it’s obvious Lee loves the challenge. He has some dementia, so this Parkinson’s patient takes extra time to process everything, Vickie said. One member of the class, Mike Talley has become a great supporter and friend.

Most people’s symptoms take years to develop, according to the National Parkinson Foundation. A person’s brain stops producing a neurotransmitter called dopamine. With less and less dopamine, a person has less and less ability to regulate movements, body and emotions.

And while the disease itself is not fatal, complications are serious. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention list complications from PD as the 14th cause of death.

Alongside Lee on this Monday morning was friend Don Long, also 72. He moved away from Knoxville a few years ago but was in town for a visit. He attends Rock Steady now in Missouri.

“He has been doing Rock Steady for seven months where we live now,” said his wife, Vena. “I can already tell a difference. He stands taller and he walks faster.”

Don was diagnosed with PD in 2002. He goes to Rock Steady three times a week. Vena said he comes home dripping with sweat, but happy. “The socialization is a good thing because they tend to fold up and become apathetic,” she said.

Boxing isn’t just for men

Parkinson’s affects more men than women, and Guza’s class is representative of that. Of the dozen in this group, only one was female. Holly Berger said she has been coming to the class for about two months.

“I have gotten stronger,” she said. “I can tell a difference. I am stronger and more secure.”

Like most of the students in the class, Berger had never boxed before. But after only a few visits, she can lace up her gloves, make a left jab right on cue and work the punching bag for several minutes.

Berger said her first warning sign was a tremor in her hand, but there are other inward signs she at first atrributed to old age, like insomia. A decreased ability to concentrate was another.

“You lose your concentration with Parkinson’s which is what this class is good for,” Berger said. “You have to keep the mind working with the body.”

Hoping for a knockout

The average age in Rock Steady is 61, Guza said. The boxing helps these students with range of motion, strength, power, balance and even the use of their voices as they keep count of their reps.

“That is what we are after,” Guza said. While this activity won’t cure PD, there is evidence it can slow the progression.

Jane George was helping her husband Thaddeus George with the punching bag. He is 55 and was diagnosed with PD at the young age of 49. His physical therapist recommended Rock Steady.

“He has upper body strength now and sleeps better,” Jane said. “He’s having some problems today, but this does help his balance. He enjoys coming.”

There are afternoon classes that Guza teaches for those with lesser symptoms. For them, the class is more about fitness, but PD symptoms are also addressed.

Guza is a motivator and encourager in addition to being a coach. He spars with them, jumps rope, plays memory games and pushes them to their limits. They leave knowing they had a workout.

Mobility and flexibility are the rewards that make each one of them champions in the ring.

“A big purpose of this is hope,” Guza said. “As we like to say, ‘In this corner is hope.’ We are not going to cure them. It just gives them hope there will be good days still. And Parkinson’s isn’t just going to drag them into the ground and kill them. Life can go on. Good things can still happen.”

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