Why Is Crossing the Midline So Important for People With Parkinson’s?

After working out with Power for Parkinson’s for a while, you may notice that almost every one of our classes features exercises where you reach across your body. This isn’t a coincidence. Exercises that require ‘crossing the midline’ are an incredibly valuable tool to help people with Parkinson’s maintain their brain health. Let me explain.

Imagine that there’s a line straight down the middle of your body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. This is the midline, splitting your body into two halves. When you cross the midline, you move a body part from one side of the body to the other, over the midline. That sounds simple enough, so why are these movements so crucial for people with Parkinson’s?

Movements that ‘cross the midline’ require communication between both hemispheres of the brain, engaging the brain more fully than movements that do not.  By practicing these movements, you strengthen neural connections between your brain’s hemispheres, which can help you improve fine motor skills, such as hand dexterity, and gross motor skills, such as balance and coordination.

Occupational therapists commonly use activities that encourage crossing the midline to help children improve their motor skills, but these activities can also be helpful for adults, especially people with Parkinson’s.

Some of the primary movement symptoms of Parkinson’s include difficulties with walking, balance, and coordination. Incorporating activities that require crossing the midline could help people with PD manage these symptoms by strengthening neural pathways and improving motor skills.

Want to experience the impact of crossing the midline for yourself? Try some of our midline-crossing workouts below!