We thank Letizia Cini for the article about our association published in Luce - La Nazione. The dissemination of this content helps us reach and help as many people as possible.
New memberships for the pilot project that took off in Florence. Dr Bertoni: 'In recent months we have received numerous requests for membership, in order to export our model to other centres in Italy'.
It seems strange, yet a 'male' sport like boxing manages to limit the damage caused by a devious and disabling degenerative disease, which something like 300,000 people in Italy have to deal with: Parkinson's.
A growing disease, which over the years has affected celebrities such as Pope John Paul II and the former heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali.
"Today we have one more ally to counteract the effects of the disease responsible for symptoms ranging from progressive muscle stiffening to loss of balance and tremors: boxing training," explains Maurizio Bertoni, orthopaedist, Florentine and president of the association Un Gancio Al Parkinson that works within the Florence Training Lab.
Doctor, bag and gloves in a rehabilitation centre?
"Exactly, taking an example from a gym in New York, where this synergy has been used for some time, we decided to open the first Italian medical centre where boxing against Parkinson's is practised. For this, in November 2018, our Association was born, which relies on the generosity of private entrepreneurs."
What does the training of your special 'boxers' consist of?
"Warm-up exercises, punches in the bag, jumping rope. Patients are looked after free of charge, twice a week by instructors with a degree in exercise science and a boxing instructor's diploma'.
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