(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Some patients with Parkinson's disease are getting a prescription for ping-pong.
Ping pong might seem more like fun than exercise, but Dr. Danny Bega at Northwestern Medicine says people with Parkinson's can benefit greatly from the game.
“One of the most common things is that people have more trouble with movement, they have slower movement, and we know that exercise is one of the best ways to slow down the decline,” Bega said.
Logan Sinnett is fitness manager at Lake Forest hospital.
“It really helps them with their visual awareness, their hand-eye coordination, helps with agility. Lateral stepping is great for them. So, there’s all kinds of different things that go into it,” Sinnett said.
Northwestern says the ping pong idea came from Mike DeBartolo, who's been fighting Parkinson's for 12 years and turned to the game for exercise during the winter.