Can boxing relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease and improve quality of life? A qualitative study of the experiences of participants attending the Danish Parkinson boxing concept.

Physical activity is an effective complementary treatment to experience improvement in health and well-being for people affected by Parkinson's disease.The Danish concept, Parkinson Boxing, inspired by the concept Rock Steady Boxing from USA, shows promise to relieve symptoms, improve mental and physical well-being and create social relationships.The motivation to engage in physical activity increases when exercising in a diagnosis-specific group as Parkinson Boxing where participants have a shared understanding of each other's challenges and simultaneously achieve social relationships.We recommend that rehabilitation professionals use diagnosis-specific group-based interventions which in addition to physical benefits creates basis for a sense of community, mental well-being and motivation to maintain physical activity among participants.