Matt Dimbylow, now 47, from Cheshire, sustained a whiplash injury in 2003
He began to suffer from strange symptoms like tiredness immediately after
It wasn't until 2007 that Mr Dimbylow was told he had a variant of Parkinson's
Now he manages the incurable disease drug-free - by running 25 miles a week
Mr Dimbylow has since represented Great Britain twice at the Paralympics
Mr Dimbylow, who has since represented Great Britain twice at the Paralympics, was part of the English Universities football team in the 1990s at the time of his injury
A semi-professional footballer claims running 25 miles a week helps him control his Parkinson's disease - sparked after an accidental head injury during a game.
Matt Dimbylow, now 47, from Cheshire, sustained a whiplash-type injury after he and another played knocked heads during a game in 2003.
He began to experience strange symptoms like tiredness, muscle aches and spasms almost immediately after.
Doctors were baffled and assumed it was Lyme disease because he lives so close to a forest full of tic-ridden deer - but tests proved nothing.
It wasn't until 2007, when he was 36, that Mr Dimbylow was told he had a variant of Parkinson's called extrapyramidal syndrome.
His medication for the degenerative disease led to him suffering from side effects, including mood swings and confusion.
But now he is in 'control' of his condition and doesn't suffer any of the symptoms after he began running 18 months ago.
Mr Dimbylow, who has since represented Great Britain twice at the Paralympics, was playing semi-pro at the time of his injury.
He is speaking out to raise awareness of Parkinson's at a time when former England footballer Alan Shearer has turned the focus on head injuries in sport.
Matt Dimbylow, now 47, from Cheshire, sustained a whiplash-type injury after he and another played knocked heads during a game 20 years ago (pictured playing at the Paralympics)
Speaking about his ordeal for the first time, the father-of-two said: 'No one expected it [the diagnosis], because I was so young.
'But, by the time of the diagnosis, I knew it was something to do with my brain.
'It was really difficult. I was a dad to two girls - Lauren, now 16, and Ella, now 14 and I was still very young.
'But continuing to exercise has kept me strong and now my intensive regime has meant I have been able to avoid the side effects and I feel like I am in control of the condition.'
His teacher wife Emma, 47, admits she had always thought of Parkinson's as an old person's condition.
She added: 'I think when we got the diagnosis, it didn't sink in straight away. I had always thought of Parkinson's as an older person's disease.
'We were upset at the time, but we had two young children and life had to go on. We had to throw ourselves back into that.'
Mr Dimbylow was started on medication almost immediately, to try to control his symptoms and prevent further degeneration.
He said: 'Initially, the medication worked really well for me and I was on quite a low dose.
'But we found out that the longer I was on it, the more it started to disagree with me and I was having to take stronger and stronger doses.'
In 2008, Mr Dimbylow - desperate to get back to the game he loved – became involved in Paralympic sport.
He was honoured to represent the Great Britain at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympics, as part of the seven-a-side team for athletes with acquired brain trauma.
Mr Dimbylow said: 'I quickly learnt how beneficial keeping up exercise was. It helped my body stay fit and 10 years on, doctors were amazed at how well I was doing.
'I had been told that within the first decade, my quality of life would be severely affected, but I am doing so much better than anyone expected.
'I started to discuss with my consultant how I could continue to use exercise to reduce my medication but I knew I needed to do it in a controlled way.'
Then, 18 months ago, Mr Dimbylow suggested to his consultant that an intensive exercise regime could be used as an alternative to his medication for Parkinson's.
The disease, which is incurable, affects 145,000 people in the UK and more than one million adults in the US.
Professor David Dexter, deputy director of research at Parkinson's UK, said: 'Head injuries do have a significant risk factor for Parkinson's.
He explained: 'I suffered from a short temper and struggled to concentrate, because of the medication.
'I felt quite guilty about my moods. I knew they were caused by the medication, but it was hard.
'If I got something in my head, I had to go and do it right then, no matter what I was doing. That was really hard to live with.'
Mr Dimbylow now runs at least 25 miles a week, spread over at least four days, and has noticed a massive change.
He said: 'Physically, not taking the medication has had a bit of an effect.
'I can't run quite as fast, or as far, and I have to time things, so I do them when I'm feeling well enough. The biggest benefit is the change in the cognitive side of things.'
Mrs Dimbylow agrees that the positive benefits of being medication free have outweighed the negatives.
She added: 'He doesn't have that boost from the medication, so he is slower to get going in the morning.
'But he is coping with that but the mental side of things so much better, which is a much bigger benefit, as he is more himself again.
'The side effects of his drugs would make him short tempered and obsessive. Now I feel like I have him back again, which is a massive benefit for our family.'
'Muhammad Ali had a form of the disease and it is commonly known that boxers can develop the disease.
'There is strong evidence that people who suffer repeated head trauma can develop the disease later on in life or trauma to the head can act as trigger for those who are already high risk and cause them to experience symptoms earlier.
'It's becoming more and more common to use exercise to treat Parkinson's disease.'
He added: 'It was dismissed to begin with, but there are studies that show that there are benefits, such as increasing the protein in the brain to prevent further decline.
'This is great, especially in the early stages of the disorder, before movement is affected too much, but even in the later stages, because as much movement as possible is important.
'Anyone with Parkinson's who would is considering making any changes to their medication or treatment should discuss how to do it safely with their doctors.'
Parkinson's UK's mission is to find a cure and improve life for everyone affected by the condition, through cutting edge research, information, support and campaigning.
Mrs Dimbylow: 'We were upset at the time, but we had two young children and life had to go on. We had to throw ourselves back into that'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5270009/Paralympic-footballer-develops-Parkinsons-disease-36.html
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