Patients in Berlin use ping pong to relieve Parkinson’s pain

Luci Krippner’s eyes never leave the little white ball when her hands go slack. When he plays ping-pong like he did today in Berlin, he can forget for a moment that he has Parkinson’s disease. I sometimes train for three hours without noticing that I’m tired. It’s great,” said the 69-year-old retiree. He has lived since 2015 with a neurodegenerative disease that affects his mobility. Krippner said table tennis reduces tremors and relieves his pain. And at night, I sleep better,” he added, amid the hum of bouncing plastic balls. .

Since last year, Krippner has been training twice a week with a dozen members of the Ping Pong Parkinson Society, promoting the therapeutic virtues of the sport.

On April 11, World Parkinson’s Day, the players were all in, hitting the ball relentlessly across the short net.

I need less of my medication when I play regularly, coach Andreas Moroff, 54, said.

Wearing a “Team Germany” shirt, he checked from time to time that everyone was doing well.

When you’re playing table tennis, you’re not thinking about your Parkinson’s,” Moroff said.

Anyone can stop at any time, and when their medication wears off, they can take a break and have something to drink.”

World Cup

Between matches or after practice, table tennis players sometimes talk about their journey with the disease.

Here, we know better than anyone else what we experience on a daily basis, the sorrows and anxieties,” Moroff said.

It’s really nice to play with like-minded people,” agreed Michael Siegert, 65.

The graduate school professor burst into joy after winning a point. It’s not just fun, it’s a form of therapy,” he said.

Several members of the team, including Moroff and Krippner, will participate in the next Ping Pong Parkinson World Championships in September in Austria.

Moroff spends about 10 hours a week with a paddle in hand, but said the goal is not to take gaming too seriously.

Founded in Germany in 2020, Ping Pong Parkinson has 170 clubs across the country and around 1,000 members.

On its website, the association mentions a Japanese study from 2021, according to which regular ping-pong for six months can reduce the physical symptoms of Parkinson’s, such as tremors or stiffness.

According to the association, approximately 400,000 people suffer from Parkinson’s disease in Germany.

The incurable disease causes uncontrollable movements, such as tremors, as well as sleep and mental health disorders. Symptoms worsen over time, and eventually patients have difficulty walking or talking.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)