Musical rhythm helps those living with Parkinson’s and parkinsonisms: it improves walking patterns and quality of life.
The Festival della Canzone Italiana, better known as the Sanremo Music Festival, has been captivating millions of Italians since 1951. Many songs performed on that stage have become part of collective culture, thanks to catchy melodies that remain imprinted in memory.
But beyond evoking emotions, music can also offer therapeutic benefits, particularly for those living with neurological disorders affecting speech and movement, such as Parkinson’s disease, peripheral neuropathies, and parkinsonisms.
In recent years, scientific research has explored the role of music as a non-invasive rehabilitation tool. During Sanremo week, we can not only enjoy live performances but also discover how to use music to promote well-being.
Singing to Speak and Breathe Better
How often does a chorus stick in your head, making you hum it for days? That could be the perfect ally for those suffering from Parkinson’s disease!
Singing is not just a pleasure; it engages the brain’s audio-motor circuit. For this reason, it is being studied as a potential rehabilitative therapy for speech and motor control in individuals with Parkinson’s and parkinsonisms.
Various studies have shown that singing helps stimulate neuronal activity and strengthen connectivity between brain areas involved in movement and breathing.
In particular, singing involves:
✔ Rapid, deep inhalations followed by controlled exhalations, improving respiratory capacity.
✔ Voice training, increasing muscle strength and vocal endurance, which are often impaired in Parkinson’s patients.
Additionally, singing can benefit the cardiovascular system. A study conducted by Uppsala University in Sweden found that heart rate variability is significantly higher in professional singers compared to amateurs, suggesting that training the voice also trains the heart.
But the benefits of music are not limited to the voice—it can also be a powerful tool for improving walking.
Timing Deficit and the Role of Rhythm
Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonisms impair motor control due to the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. This leads to various motor difficulties, including the loss of time perception and control, known as timing deficit.
There are two types of timing:
- Explicit timing, which depends on the brain’s ability to internally generate rhythm for movements. This is compromised in Parkinson’s, causing bradykinesia (slow movements), coordination difficulties, and problems with writing and walking.
- Implicit timing, which relies on external stimuli like sounds or visual cues. This remains partially intact in Parkinson’s patients.
This is where music comes into play. Rhythm-based therapy utilizes the brain’s ability to synchronize movements with auditory stimuli, compensating for internal synchronization deficits and improving motor control.
Walking to the Beat of Music Helps
Neuroimaging studies have shown that auditory rhythmic stimulation activates brain areas involved in movement, such as the premotor cortex, supplementary motor area (SMA), cerebellum, and basal ganglia.
The beat of a song can serve as a rhythmic guide, helping to regulate stride and improve walking fluidity. This approach effectively reduces freezing episodes—sudden blocks that prevent individuals from starting or continuing to walk.
Incorporating music into daily life can become a simple and effective rehabilitation strategy:
🎵 Keeping rhythm by snapping fingers or tapping a foot can improve coordination.
🎤 Humming a song while walking helps maintain a steady gait.
🎶 Using a metronome or a playlist with regular beats can aid in regaining motor control.
But music is not the only available tool—there are also innovative technologies to improve gait.
Gondola AMPS: A Technology to Improve Walking
If music can be a useful strategy during walking, Gondola AMPS is a non-invasive therapy designed to specifically address gait issues.
This technology uses mechanical plantar stimulation to activate nerve pathways involved in movement control. Essentially, it sends targeted impulses to the feet to enhance the connection between the peripheral and central nervous systems, improving gait fluidity and reducing fall risk.
✔ Immediate effects: Many patients notice benefits after just one session.
✔ Easy to use: The treatment lasts only 90 seconds—the length of a song!
✔ Usable at home: Once the therapy is set up, it can be performed independently.
This technology represents a step forward in rehabilitation strategies for Parkinson’s, complementing music as a method to improve quality of life.
Music and Movement: A Winning Combination
From voice to walking, rhythm proves to be a key element in tackling the challenges of Parkinson’s disease.
If a song can make our hearts beat, it can also help us regain our stride. Thus, the Sanremo Festival, beyond bringing emotions to audiences in Italy and worldwide, can also serve as concrete inspiration to improve the lives of those living with Parkinson’s.
Music is not just entertainment: it can become therapy, support, and a valuable ally for health.
Sources:
Therapeutic benefits of music-based synchronous finger tapping in Parkinson’s disease—an fNIRS study protocol for randomized controlled trial in Dalian, China
Lanlan Pu, Nauman Khalid Qureshi, Joanne Ly, Bingwei Zhang, Fengyu Cong, William C. Tang & Zhanhua Liang, 2020- Rehabilitation, exercise therapy and music in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a meta-analysis of the effects of music-based movement therapy on walking ability, balance and quality of life M J de Dreu 1, A S D van der Wilk, E Poppe, G Kwakkel, E E H van Wegen, 2012
