UK Edition
Ballet dancing could help Parkinson's, researchers believe as they begin £2m study
Practicing ballet could help people with Parkinson's disease, researchers believe, and have launched a study to find out if there really is a benefit.
The English National Ballet (EMB) will work alongside King’s College London to give weekly dance classes to patients in the hope it will improve stability, fluidity of movement and posture.
If successful, GPs may be able to prescribe ballet on the NHS for people with Parkinson’s.
Fleur Derbyshire-Fox, English National Ballet’s Engagement Director, said: “Since creating our Dance for Parkinson’s programme we have seen first-hand the incredible effects dance can have on a person living with Parkinson’s.
“We’re thrilled to be a part of this study, with the opportunity to embed the programme within secondary care social prescribing, increase reach and diversity, and in turn have a greater impact on the physical and emotional wellbeing of people living with Parkinson’s.”
The programme is one of a number of projects being tested by King’s and University College London (UCL) to see how effective arts interventions are for physical and mental health.
Other schemes include encouraging new mothers to take up singing and music sessions to help combat post-natal depression.
Stroke patients will also be invited to join 60-minute sessions featuring movement, music, song and spoken word at St Thomas’ Hospital in London and at community arts or rehabilitation centres.
Early research shows that the sessions deliver improvements to patients’ cognition, mobility and speech disabilities, enhancing recovery, agency and wellbeing for patients after stroke.
“There is growing research on the impact of the arts on health,” said Professor Carmine Pariante, Professor of Biological Psychiatry at King’s College.
“But more work is needed to take programmes from successful local projects with short-term funding to national programmes commissioned by the health sector.”
Professor Sir Robert Lechler, Provost for Health at King’s added “We aim to provide the evidence needed for arts-based interventions to be embedded into NHS treatment pathways, offering effective alternatives to traditional therapies while delivering better results for patients and possible cost savings to the NHS.”