MDH Partners with YMCA to Offer Rock Steady Boxing

MACOMB, Ill. - McDonough District Hospital Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation is providing west-central Illinois with a specialized program to help fight back against Parkinson’s disease.

Working with the YMCA of McDonough County, MDH Physical Therapist Angelica Hoenig, PT, DPT coordinates the Rock Steady Boxing program - a unique exercise program based on training used by boxing pros. Adapted for people with Parkinson’s disease, this program involves exercises modified for each individual’s abilities, including: stretching, strengthening, running, jumping-rope, push-ups, balancing and non-contact boxing led by an experienced physical therapist.

Classes are held at the YMCA of McDonough County every Monday and Thursday from 1-2 p.m.

Rock Steady Boxing serves both men and women of all ages and levels of ability. Rock Steady Boxing, Inc., a non-profit organization, was founded in Indianapolis in 2006. Classes are geared to people at all stages of Parkinson’s disease.

Cost for the class is $50 per month with a $50 assessment fee. For additional information about the Rock Steady Boxing program, contact MDH Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation at (309) 836-1616.

Additional information about Rock Steady Boxing Inc. and Parkinson’s disease is available at www.rocksteadyboxing.org. According to the Rock Steady website, “Various studies in the 1980’s and 1990‘s support that rigorous exercise, emphasizing gross motor movement, balance, core strength, rhythm, and hand-eye coordination can favorably impact range of motion, flexibility, posture, gait, and activities of daily living. More recent studies, most notably at Cleveland Clinic, focus on the concept of intense “forced” exercise, and suggest that certain types of exercise are neuro-protective, which means that it is a type of exercise that may actually slow disease progression.”