Can boxing relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and improve quality of life? A qualitative study of the experiences of participants attending the Danish Parkinson boxing concept

Abstract Purpose To explore how people with Parkinson’s (PwP) experience the impact of attending Parkinson Boxing (PB) on their symptoms and quality of life. Methods The authors NMAY and PeB conducted participant observations of four PB sessions and eight semi-structured interviews with PwP who participated in PB in Denmark. The empirical material was systematically analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Four main themes arose. The participants experience a sense of community from being part of a group where they share the same diagnosis. They described various bodily experiences related to their physical and cognitive functioning and well-being, as well as emotional experiences including feelings of joy, gratitude, and mental well-being. They are motivated to participate in the training sessions, and participation further motivates them to retain their exercise practice. Conclusions The experienced impact of participating in PB relates to physical relief of symptoms and improved functioning in everyday life, as well as a mental lift, energy, and joy during and after training sessions. Participants described being motivated to attend PB and to continue their training practice. Thus, PB entails experiences of relief of symptoms and presumably improved quality of life for the participants. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Physical activity is an effective complementary treatment to experience improvement in health and well-being for people affected by Parkinson’s disease. The Danish concept, Parkinson Boxing, inspired by the concept Rock Steady Boxing from USA, shows promise to relieve symptoms, improve mental and physical well-being and create social relationships. The motivation to engage in physical activity increases when exercising in a diagnosis-specific group as Parkinson Boxing where participants have a shared understanding of each other’s challenges and simultaneously achieve social relationships. We recommend that rehabilitation professionals use diagnosis-specific group-based interventions which in addition to physical benefits creates basis for a sense of community, mental well-being and motivation to maintain physical activity among participants.