Parkinson’s Patients never forget how to ride a bicycle

This video shows that the worst ideas might be good ones.

I’m not sure if anyone can see this video from the New England Journal of Medicine, but it blew me away.

Growing up I never thought of the human body as fascinating. Even as I became more interested in medicine the biology and science didn’t draw me in as much as the personal connections involved, but as I’ve started reading the science has grabbed my attention.

I knew a woman with Parkinson’s. I vividly remember that occasionally she would have a terrible time walking. Her company could help her by giving her cues saying, “right foot first.”

Then she would be able to walk a few steps. I remember how distressed she was over this as her body deteriorated around her mind.

In the video we see a 58 year old man with Parkinson’s in the Netherlands attempt to walk and fail. Then he gets on a bicycle and goes for a ride.

My mouth dropped when I saw this. How could this be possible? What is it that prohibits walking in a hallway and allows riding a bicycle through a busy parking lot?

It reminds me a little of re-teaching stroke victims how to talk with music therapy. Some stroke victims are physically able to speak, but can’t through some mental barrier. They can however, sing. Speech therapists can then have them sing familiar songs to re-teach them how to talk.

The gentleman in the video still has his trouble with “freezing gait”, however the the authors do note that cycling is at the very least an alternative form of exercise.

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