Ping-pong power: Fighting Parkinson's disease with table tennis

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SINGAPORE - When Mr Sunil Raghavan was in his 30s, there were niggling details in his daily life that he could not account for.

There was a persistent stiffness in his right shoulder. He could not type for extended periods of time and he took longer to brush his teeth than before.

When he consulted a doctor, he learnt, at the age of 34, that he had Parkinson's disease.

The progressive brain disorder, which affects movement, has no cure, but its symptoms can be controlled with medication, surgical treatment and other therapies. Tremors, limb rigidity and balance problems are among its symptoms and the rate of progression of the disease varies among individuals.

Most people with Parkinson's develop it at around the age of 60, though early-onset cases are estimated to comprise about 10 per cent of sufferers.

Mr Sunil, now 41, was devastated at his diagnosis. He recalls: "I thought, why me and at this age? I had never smoked and I exercised regularly. My son had just been born and I had been looking forward to spending time with him."

Born and raised in India, Mr Sunil, a senior manager who handles service delivery for Asia-Pacific at a technology firm, moved with his family from Malaysia, his last posting, to Singapore about five years ago. His wife Aparna Puthenveetil is a 34-year-old housewife and their son is seven.

Mr Sunil, who played table tennis growing up, picked up the sport again after his doctor reminded him that his diagnosis was not a death sentence.

It was the beginning of a journey that transformed him and led to his founding of Table Tennis For Good, which holds table-tennis sessions for people with Parkinson's or dementia, as well as seniors.

When Mr Sunil started playing table tennis again, its effect was "like magic", he says.

His movements, slowed by Parkinson's, became faster and he felt his hand-eye coordination improving. Doing "shadow practice", such as moving his weight from side to side and mimicking handling a table-tennis bat, helps him recover more quickly from episodes when his body feels "frozen".

Mr Sunil says the dosage of his medication, which had previously been increasing every three months, has been unchanged since 2017, when he started playing table tennis in earnest.

In 2019, he took part in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Parkinson's World Table Tennis Championships in New York for persons with Parkinson's.

Last year, he registered his non-profit organisation, Table Tennis For Good, and it started operations in February this year.

"Table tennis has been like a lifeline for me. I benefited a lot from this game and I wanted to let the community know about this," says Mr Sunil, who plays it every day. He has become an optimist, rather than letting negative thinking consume him like before, he says.

Table Tennis For Good, which is offered for free, targets an improved quality of life for people with Parkinson's or dementia, as well as seniors. Besides offering play sessions, the programme includes activities involving mindfulness and digital games aimed at boosting brain health.

The organisation also hosted virtual sessions when Covid-19 curbs were in place.

Table Tennis For Good uses table-tennis tables provided by the TTX outdoor table-tennis programme by ActiveSG, which encourages the public to play a simplified version of the sport in community spaces. These tables are of similar dimensions to regular table-tennis tables, though the net is usually made of metal or polymer to suit the outdoor environment.

Table Tennis For Good operates at four TTX venues - Our Tampines Hub, Jurong Lake Gardens, Jurong East Sport Centre and Sengkang Sport Centre - and plans to launch soon at community hub Heartbeat @ Bedok. It has about 75 participants and 60 volunteers.

Dr Prem Pillay, a neurosurgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital who is the medical adviser for Table Tennis For Good, says the nature of the sport makes it suitable for persons with brain-health issues.

"Table tennis has been described as playing chess in physical form," says Dr Pillay, elaborating on the skill and brain functions involved in concentrating on the speedy movement of the ball and how to move to anticipate and outmanoeuvre the opponent.

Professor Louis Tan Chew Seng, director of research and senior consultant at the National Neuroscience Institute's neurology department, warns that other vigorous racket sports may not be suitable for people with Parkinson's, who have balance problems.

He cites two studies, published in scientific journals last year and this year, which show that table tennis may boost daily function and movement and have positive psycho-social effects for those with Parkinson's.

However, he adds that such "positive effects are unlikely to be specific to table tennis alone".

Prof Tan says: "Physical activity and exercise in general will help with movements related to Parkinson's disease, dementia and the elderly. They keep the muscles strong and active, improve mobility, help with bone health and improve the patient's general sense of well-being."

In Singapore, table tennis is the second most popular racket sport after badminton, according to the National Sport Participation Survey 2020 by Sport Singapore. Among people aged 60 and older, table tennis is the most popular racket game.

Mr Sunil's family and associates have benefited from his zeal in getting others to play table tennis.

His son Vasisht was diagnosed when he was younger with a rare genetic condition called Cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome, which affects the heart and other parts of the body.

Vasisht's attention span and patience has improved after playing table tennis with his father.

"He can now do more than 50 rallies. It's like meditation for him," says Mr Sunil.

Mr Tony Lui, a 71-year-old retiree who used to run a printing business, was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2016.

After joining the Table Tennis For Good programme more than six months ago, he now plays a 45-minute game once a week with ease. Previously, he had to rest often while walking and his gait was less steady.

Mr Lui says: "Sunil helps me to battle Parkinson's. He's like a friend. He doesn't treat me like a patient."

 

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

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