Paddle for Parkinson's: Back Braces

Older Adults Need Our Help To Stay Healthy

Imagine not being able to stand up straight when walking down the street, not being able to take a full deep breath due to your  forward bent posture and not being able to enjoy walking as a method for staying healthy.
Many people with Parkinson's Disease may also have a spinal condition know as Camptacormia.
Camptacormia is an excessive forward flexion of the spine, and when combined with Parkinson's Disease can result in sufferers being unable to stand up straight  for even short periods of time  of 10 seconds.

This results in chronic debiltating back pain and an increased risk of falling as reaching upwards becomes too hard on the spinal muscles and pelvis to maintain balance.

Just simply walking down the street becomes very hard work without a frame, and even with a frame, breathing in this bent over position is very difficult. The end result is not wanting to walk, not wanting to leave the house and not exercising, which in turn exacerbates the effects of Parkinson's Disease.

A small group of men from the Shoalhaven area who suffer from Parkinson's and Camptacormia have been determined not to let their pain, and inablity to stand up , stop them from trying to exercise. These men exercise everyday and complete postural stablity exercises in an effort to prevent them falling over and sustaining an injury.
Having additional support from an individually fitted brace would assist them to maintain their independance and continue their health program with reduced pain.

Working with an exercise physiologist to maintain their heart health and walking ability , it was decided to search the medical world for adult back braces for thoracic/ lumbar support.

Many of the braces that the group have found for Camptacormia  range from $100 to $700 and need to be sourced from overseas .  There is no funding available for older adults for aids such as these and it's now time to support older people who need our help. Let's help increase the quality of life for older adults.

Drew Stewart and Brodie Cambourne would like to use the opportunity of paddling the 404km Murray Marathon this November to hep raise awareness of Camptacormia and to assist people with this deblitating disease live as pain free and heathy as possible .
We are hoping to raise funds for the 5 gentlemen to purchase each of them a brace that will help them enjoy walking and to help them to keep fighting the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.