Table tennis and Parkinson’s
Why does PETT exist? What is so important about table tennis in relation to Parkinson’s?
There is no cure for Parkinson’s. Physical exercise is now extremely well recognised as being one of the best ways, possibly the only way, of slowing down Parkinson’s symptoms. There is strong and increasing evidence that playing table tennis regularly is one of the best forms of exercise for this purpose.
There are 40+ symptoms associated with Parkinson’s. Through playing table tennis, people living with Parkinson’s will practice many physical and mental attributes, including:
- Balance
- Reaction speed
- Hand-eye co-ordination
- Footwork
- Arm movements
- Fine motor skills
- Concentration
- Calmness
- Social interaction
Here are links to a selection of videos and research papers about the benefits of table tennis. These may be helpful if, for example, you are talking to funders, health providers or media about table tennis and Parkinson’s.
We will continue to add to this page. Please let us know if you are aware of any such research which would be valuable to share.
The focus of PETT is on table tennis and Parkinson’s. If you want to find out about other research on Parkinson’s, here are just some of the places you can explore:
Videos
- The power of ping pong over Parkinson’s (2:51) (China Daily Global)
- Table Tennis v Parkinson’s disease (2:21) (myangelmyhero.org)
- How table tennis helps those with Parkinson’s | ParkySMASH! Manchester (3:06) (Table Tennis England, 2025)
- “You see the benefits in every session” | A first hand account on the power of table tennis (2:28) (Table Tennis England, 2025)
- Parkinson’s disease Boost mobility with Table Tennis (8:52) (Dr.Tidman Health and Wellness +)
Research papers
A Pilot Study of the Feasibility and Effects of Table Tennis Training in Parkinson Disease (Science Direct, 2020)
This study demonstrates that table tennis training is safe and feasible, and may have the potential to improve balance control, mental well-being, and self-reported physical activity level. Further studies are required before table tennis can be considered an evidence-based recommendation for individuals with Parkinson disease.
Enhanced Cognitive Inhibition in Table Tennis Athletes: Insights from Color – Word and Spatial Stroop Tasks (Brain Sciences, MDPI, 2024)
The ability to inhibit conflicting information is pivotal in the dynamic and high-speed context of fast-ball sports. However, the behavioural and electrophysiological characteristics under lying the cognitive inhibition processes associated with table tennis expertise remain unexplored. This study aims to bridge these research gaps by utilizing the colour-word Stroop task and the spatial Stroop task alongside event-related potential (ERP) measurements to investigate domain-general and domain-specific cognitive inhibition among table tennis athletes.
Continuous table tennis is associated with processing in frontal brain areas: an EEG approach (Experimental Brain Research, 2022)
Coordinative challenging exercises in changing environments referred to as open-skill exercises seem to be beneficial on cognitive function. Although electroencephalographic research allows to investigate changes in cortical processing during movement, information about cortical dynamics during open-skill exercise is lacking. Therefore, the present study examines frontal brain activation during table tennis as an open-skill exercise compared to cycling exercise and a cognitive task.
Table Tennis for Health: A Multidimensional Perspective on Its Physical, Emotional, and Social Advantage (Healthcare, MDP!, 2025)
Table tennis is commonly perceived as a recreational or competitive sport; however, growing evidence highlights its potential as a multidimensional tool for health promotion. This study investigates the perceived physical, cognitive, emotional, and social benefits of regular table tennis practice, emphasizing its contribution to health beyond the purely sporting dimension.
