David Stackpole trains using a punching bag at Scenic City Boot Camp. The precision and effort required to box trains both the body and the mind, which can slow or even halt the progressive effects of Parkinson's disease, said Scenic City co-owner Harvey.
Even after just a few weeks of attending Rock Steady classes at Scenic City Boot Camp, co-owner Dr. Kristen Harvey said attendees have commented about feeling more confident in their day-to-day routine and that they are now able to hold a spoon or brush their teeth.
Imagine, for the first time in years, being able to walk around the mall with your grandchild without having to stop every few feet to rest, or being able to tie your shoes without any help.
Those are the kind of success stories that have become typical of the Rock Steady Boxing program at Scenic City Boot Camp. Designed to slow down the effects of Parkinson's disease, the intense regimen of boxing, core training and agility training has been offered locally at Scenic City since June 2016.
There is no known cure for Parkinson's, a degenerative disease affecting the brain and, resultantly, motor skills, according to dedicated organizations including the National Parkinson's Foundation and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation. But for someone who has a progressive disease to see they can manage it is a huge win, said Lori McCollum, an occupational therapist with Life Care Centers of America and a longtime friend of Scenic City co-owner Kristen Harvey.
Rock Steady Boxing was started in Indiana in 2006 by a husband and wife to help the husband combat the muscle and nerve damage associated with Parkinson's. McCollum helped bring the nonprofit to Chattanooga, making Scenic City's program one of almost 300 branches around the country.
"I'd started our Rock Steady Boxing affiliation as an occupation of passion," McCollum said. "My father had Parkinson's and he lived for ten years with the diagnosis - I've seen what it does."
In January, after McCollum was no longer able to host the classes due to other responsibilities, Harvey took control of the program.
Harvey, who has a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, has experience in rehabilitation and physical fitness, and is a major reason why McCollum said they have such a good partnership.
The program is offered four days a week, for one to two hours each session. After some group discussion and support, participants get to training. Boxing, Harvey said, is known as a forced intense exercise, meaning it affects the brain as well as muscles. The training regimen works on hand-eye coordination, balance and dexterity in addition to physical strength, all of which are key to controlling the tremors associated with the disease and preventing falls and injury, she explained.
"Some of these people were bound in their homes, afraid to even go out and go shopping," Harvey said. "There are instances where people with Parkinson's freeze and can't move, and it's a real fear for them."
Through the program, though, she said the disease can be controlled.
McCollum cited an older woman named Evelyn who was one of the first people to sign up. While she still maintained some independence, such as the ability to drive a car, her endurance suffered as a result of the disease. She loved to go shopping with her granddaughter, but had to stop after every store in the mall to sit and rest.
"About eight weeks into the program, she spoke with me to report on how it was helping her," said McCollum. "That week, her granddaughter kept asking her if she needed to sit down while they shopped. She made it through the whole trip without having to rest once."
McCollum also said she's noticed fewer tremors in the program's participants, and that people have told her they were able to brush their teeth or tie their shoes without help for the first time in months, or even years.
"We divide the group up into levels of ability so they can be in a program tailored to them," Harvey said, explaining that they cater to people who were just recently diagnosed, as well as people who have lived with the disease for years and have to use a wheelchair or have dementia.
"It's all about giving people hope," Harvey said.
For more information about the class and how to sign up, visit sceniccity.rsbaffiliate.com or call 870-6001.
Email Shane Foley at sfoley@timesfreepress.com.