LKN Muay Thai packs a punch to Parkinson’s disease

BOXING Rock Steady Fighting Parkinson’s Disease Like Family BY » Elizabeth Watson Chaney Photography by » Ken Noblezada

When Kru J.T. Smith first opened his Mooresville business, Lake Norman Muay Thai, in March 2016, his goal was to share his passion for the art of Muay Thai (Thai boxing). A former amateur and professional fighter, he earned his coaching certification in Thailand, where Muay Thai serves as the country’s official sport. “Kru” is the Thai word for “teacher.”

Just over two years later, Smith began offering a new program at his gym: Rock Steady Boxing (RSB), a non-contact boxing class for people battling Parkinson’s disease. Smith, who has more than 30 years of martial arts education under his belt, first learned of its existence via the internet. Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects predominately dopamine-producing neurons in a specific area of the brain of the brain called substantia nigra. Symptoms include tremors, limb rigidity, gait and balance problems. The benefits of boxing for sufferers of Parkinson’s has been researched and documented, explains Smith, who says, “all these years I’ve been teaching people to hit so they can hurt other people; it came as a surprise that those same striking techniques are therapeutic for people with Parkinson’s disease.” RSB was founded by Scott Newman and Vince Perez in Indianapolis, Indiana, back in 2006. After Newman was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s at the age of 40, Perez, a friend and former Golden Glove boxer, became concerned about his friend’s decline. He invited Newman to join him at the gym so he could teach him how to box. Newman agreed, and he soon admitted to feeling better. Specifically, he saw significant improvement in two common symptoms of Parkinson’s: instability and tremors. One day after a workout, he held his arm straight up and said, “Hey look, I’m rock steady!”

When Smith learned about the Indianapolis program, he went there to earn his RSB coaching certification. The training shared some of the research that’s been done since the program was founded. A two-year study at the University of Indianapolis compared several small groups of patients. Each group was assigned a different exercise therapy to be done several times a week. Of all the activities The Rock Steady Boxing program at Lake Norman Muay Thai offers a sense of community along with training support. LimitlessMagOnline.com | April 2020 38

studied, RSB yielded the most improvements.

Two local physicians with Parkinson’s are members of Smith’s class, and several doctors in the community refer their patients to his program. Dr. Andrew Gross, a Mooresville neurologist who sees many Parkinson’s patients, offered his time as a volunteer one day during an RSB class. Afterward, he commented on social media that he was “very impressed,” calling it “a non-traditional approach to physical therapy for Parkinson’s that is active, social, and fun.” Still, Smith pushes his students hard, because the research shows that exerting maximum effort yields better results. Volunteers (Smith calls them corner people) are critical to keeping the participants safe, and there’s always a need for more of them. Their only job is to stay within arm’s reach of their boxer during the workout. If they start to look unsteady on their feet, someone is there to gently stabilize them and prevent a fall. “The more volunteers I have, the more creative I can be with the workouts.” Every six months Smith tracks his students’ progress with two simple tests. “Everyone shows improvement with balance,” he says, “at least 90 to 95 percent.” His very first RSB student had severe issues with balance, and he couldn’t take normal strides. One day after finishing his workout, he was standing on the floor by himself, and his wife was in the waiting room watching him. He took eight perfect strides. “My

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Learn more at www.parkinson.org.

mouth dropped open, and her mouth dropped open.” She said she hadn’t seen him do that in a very long time. In addition to the physical benefits of a program like this, the sense of community among participants can’t be understated. It’s a group of 25 people from all different backgrounds, all struggling with the same disease. They’re not just training together, explains Smith. They’re the people they go to when they’re in need of someone to talk to; “they’re like family.” ? To learn more, visit: Lake Norman Muay Thai 107 Commons Drive, Suite I Mooresville 704.657.1080 Lakenormanmuaythai.com

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Our Rock Steady program enables people with Parkinson’s disease to fight their disease by providing non-contact boxing-style fitness activities to improve their quality-of-life and sense of self-worth. The Rock Steady classes for people with Parkinson’s and seniors