Laois people punching Parkinson's Disease with specialised boxing therapy

Laois people with Parkinson's Disease are joining with others from all over Ireland in a Portlaoise sports club to fight back against the disease.

Putting on the boxing gloves, led by a local specialist trainer, they meet in a unit at J17 National Business Park to do all sorts of exercises from hitting punchbags to shouting chants, all designed to support both their physical and mental health.

The members are taking part in a US based therapy called Rock Steady Boxing, a non-contact exercise developed some 15 years ago especially to slow the progression of Parkinson's, a degenerative brain disease that affects muscle control, among other symptoms.

The Leinster Express / Laois Live visited a training session and met them. 

Fint Duff is from Limetree in Portarlington.

"I've been doing it since pre Covid times. It was first happening in the old school opposite Bradshaws, then when Covid came we did it on Zoom. 

"I found it very good. I've been holding my own compared to what I had. I had missed it for the past month and I feel the worser for it. I find the exercise good. I come in here feeling stiff as a poker and I free up after the hour and a half," he said.

Fint was always into his exercise particularly road cycling.

"I do a bit of work. I cycle. I cycle over here, I bought an Ebike. My knee doesn't bother me when I cycle," he said.

Members training at the Rock Steady Boxing class. 

Mountmellick native Fran Fennelly finds great benefits and wants to get the word out to other people.

"It helps with my balance and coordination. It tends to slow the progression of Parkinson's. A lot of people here have found that. It's good for muscle tone and it's good for the mood. We have it here in Portlaoise since 2019. It was online during Covid but it's much better in person. You get better feedback from the coach and you just have the chats," he said.

Participants drive from as far as Kilkenny, Galway, Wexford and Wicklow to the weekly class, the only one outside of Dublin.

"A lot more could come that have Parkinson's. There are about 60 people in the Parkinson's Association of Ireland East Midlands group, but some people don't want to join an association so there could be more that don't know about this," Fran said.

It was Wexford Parkinson's sufferer Mary Casserly who encourage other Irish patients to try out the therapy.

"I'm doing it for over four years. It works on a combination of balance, coordination, and strengthening, for your speech especially by shouting out the slogans.  It helps with stiffness and makes me more mobile," she said.

She was diagnosed with Parkinson's five and a half years ago.

"It was a shock. It takes a while to come to terms with it. For me this is the only thing that helps to slow the progression. It affects your motor skills. Your writing gets very small. I gave up work.

"There is a sense of teamwork at the classes. There is a social side as well, to meet other people who are going through the same thing as you. Mirek is a very good coach, he was the first to train on this in Ireland.

"I'd like for more people to join it, I want to show that women can do it. It's non contact. The numbers fluctuate so I would be anxious to encourage people to come and try out a session," she said.

Trainer Mirek warming up the group. 

The Portlaoise coach is Mirek Stankiewicz.

"I did the training in Oslo in Norway. Shouting is part of it because with Parkinson's, people lose their voice. Every person has different problems. You punch in a sequence and work on balance and coordination. Boxing is just one part of it, but you are not fighting another person, you are fighting Parkinson's. 

"Before the pandemic we had 133 members, after it was down to 20. People are still afraid of contact. It is good that they can meet a person with the same problems, they sit down after, have a coffee and share news," Mirek said.

The therapy does not replace medication, which is provided free of charge in Ireland to Parkinson's patients. 

The Rock Steady Boxing website claims "recent studies focus on the concept of intense 'forced' exercise, and have begun to suggest that certain kinds of exercise may be neuro-protective, ie, actually slowing disease progression".

They cite a research study of participants who after 12 weeks of training found "measurable improvements in gait, balance, and quality of life. Participants with milder Parkinson’s improved sooner than patients with move severe Parkinson’s symptoms".

The classes cost €10 and take place on Saturday mornings at 11am in Portlaoise Combat Academy, Unit 13 B, National Enterprise Park,  Portlaoise, R32 A558. For more contact coach  Miroslaw Stankiewicz 086 886 8403

The Parkinson's Association of Ireland has more information.

See the Parkinson’s Association of Ireland, East Midlands branch contacts here.