In our last post, we discussed how to best assist a family member after a stroke. On the same topic of neurological physiotherapy today, we will discuss how this therapy can help those affected by Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The vast majority of patients are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease after the age of 60 years, and most have been living with the disease for at least 10 years before diagnosis.
There is currently no cure for Parkinson’s Disease, however, there are treatments available that can help to manage the symptoms and improve quality of life. Neurological physiotherapy is one such treatment.
Neurological Physiotherapy, or Neuro for short, is a branch of physiotherapy that specialises in the assessment and treatment of patients with neurological conditions. Neuro physiotherapists use a variety of techniques to help patients regain movement and function after suffering from a stroke, brain injury or other neurological condition.
Parkinson’s disease affects the nervous system, specifically the area of the brain known as the substantia nigra. This part of the brain is responsible for controlling movement. When nerve cells in the substantia nigra become damaged or die, it can cause problems with movement.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease can include:
-Tremor (shaking)
-Rigidity (stiffness)
-Bradykinesia (slowness of movement)
-Postural instability (impaired balance)
Neuro physiotherapists use a range of techniques to help patients with Parkinson’s disease regain movement and function. These can include:
The Timed Up and Go (TUG) test is a simple test used to measure the ability of a person to walk and get up from a chair. The 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT) is a similar test but measures the distance a person can walk in six minutes. These tests are often used to assess the severity of Parkinson’s disease and track the progress of treatment.
Aerobic exercise is any type of exercise that gets the heart rate up and causes the body to use more oxygen than it would at rest. This type of exercise is beneficial for people with Parkinson’s disease because it helps to improve cardiovascular health, strength, balance and coordination.
Graded resistance exercise training is a type of exercise that involves gradually increasing the resistance or weight being used. This type of exercise is beneficial for people with Parkinson’s disease because it helps to improve muscle strength and endurance.
Gait in the Parkinson’s disease population can be affected in a number of ways. One common problem is that people with Parkinson’s disease may have a reduced ability to initiate movement, which can lead to a slower walking speed. In addition, people with Parkinson’s disease may have difficulty maintaining balance, which can result in falls. Your neuro physiotherapist will prescribe you gait retraining exercises that improve your walking ability, walking speed and reduce your risk of falls.
Neuro physiotherapists often use sensory cueing and movement strategy training to help improve gait in people with Parkinson’s disease. Sensory cueing involves providing feedback to the patient about their movement patterns. This feedback can be visual, auditory or tactile, and can help to improve movement accuracy and stability. Movement strategy training helps patients to plan and execute movements more effectively. This type of training can help to improve walking speed and reduce the risk of falls.
Dual tasking is the ability to perform two tasks simultaneously. This can be a challenge for people with Parkinson’s disease because they often have difficulty with multitasking. Neuro physiotherapists often use dual-tasking training to help improve the ability to perform multiple tasks.
Dual tasking training involves performing a task that requires attention (such as walking) while simultaneously performing a task that does not require attention (such as counting). This type of training can help to improve the ability to focus on multiple tasks simultaneously. It can also help to improve walking speed and balance in people with Parkinson’s disease.
This skill is important because it helps people to stay safe when performing everyday activities, such as walking to the grocery store, crossing a busy street or cooking dinner.
We have now explored how Parkinson’s Disease can greatly impact a person’s movement and how neuro physiotherapy can help, but it is important to note that Parkinson’s Disease is not simply a movement disorder. Parkinson’s Disease can also affect a person’s emotions, thinking abilities, sleep and appetite.
This is why it is important for people with Parkinson’s Disease to receive holistic care. Holistic care involves treating the whole person, not just their symptoms. This type of care can help to improve the quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease.
There are many different types of holistic care that can be beneficial for people with Parkinson’s disease. As mentioned on Parkinson’s Australia’s website, some examples include occupational therapy, nutritional therapy, and speech therapy.
There is currently no known cure for Parkinson’s disease, but physiotherapy can help to manage the symptoms and improve quality of life. Neuro physiotherapy can play a vital role in helping people with Parkinson’s disease to regain movement and function. If you are living with Parkinson’s disease, talk to your doctor or health care professional about a referral to a neuro physiotherapist.
At Health Next Door, our neuro physiotherapists provide home-visit service Sydney wide and we offer FREE initial consultations. To book a free appointment, give us a call today!