Physiotherapy For Parkinson’s Disease Management
Patients living with Parkinson’s Disease can benefit from physiotherapy treatment, increasing ease of movement and improving overall quality of life.
Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting the fluency of movement. Symptoms also include tremor and gait and balance problems. While there is no cure, patients can manage the disease and reduce the impact of their symptoms.
Physiotherapists are experts in the musculoskeletal system. They help their patients to increase mobility and reduce pain. Physiotherapy plays an important role in Parkinson’s Disease management, helping patients to optimise movement. New research has also shown that regular exercise can slow the progression of the condition.
Enhancing movement
Exercise and treatments prescribed by a physiotherapist can increase strength, flexibility and posture. Parkinson’s patients often experience difficulty with the gait, and cueing strategies can help to improve the quality and ease of the walking motion. These cues include lines on the floor and verbal prompts.
Training for motor skills
Physiotherapists help Parkinson’s patients to practice everyday movements and improve the quality of motor skills. Most of us don’t think about completing simple actions, but people with Parkinson’s must retrain their brain to execute these movements.
Balance retraining and fall prevention
Parkinson’s patients often experience difficulty initiating movement and producing fluent physical movements. This makes walking and balancing particularly difficult. Physiotherapists can help their patients to improve balance, thereby reducing the risk of falls.
Dual-task retraining
Many of us multitask without any difficulty. Completing a dual-task like walking and talking can be challenging for Parkinson’s, but targeted physiotherapy treatment can improve the ease of these tasks.
Cardiorespiratory movement
Recent research shows that 2.5 hours of exercise per week can slow the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Cardio-based exercise such as walking or hydrotherapy is recommended. Your physiotherapist can help you to find an exercise that is right for you.
The experienced physiotherapists at Northern Districts Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic help Parkinson’s patients to improve mobility and increase the quality of life. You can book an appointment at our West Ryde clinic by calling 02 9874 8410 or booking online.
