What is Parkinson's Disease?

Parkinson’s Disease

By Laurence Schubert APAM

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is progressiveneurological condition that results in death to cells in the brain thatmodulate movement and mood. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers thattransmit signals around the brain. In patients with PD, the neurotransmitterthat creates dopamine begins to die. Dopamine is critical for smooth musclecell movement and affects other body systems such as your sense of smell,bowel, thinking and mood.

What is the progression forParkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s disease is aprogressive illness, meaning it is unable to be curried and is likely to worsenover time. The good news is that after years of research along with testedtreatment options, the condition can be slowed down significantly withappropriate intervention. Each person will be affected differently and it is generallyunknown why the condition progresses quicker or slower in some people.

What are the Symptoms ofParkinson’s Disease?

Parkinson’s Disease symptomsare generally divided into two categories; motor symptoms and non-motorsymptoms. PD is generally considered a movement disorder but it is important tobe aware that non-motor symptoms play a big part is PD.

Motor symptoms: tremor,muscle rigidity, freezing, postural instability and bradykinesia (slowness ofmovement).

Non-motor symptoms: constipation,dementia, depression & anxiety, drooling, fatigue, low BP, pain, psychosis,sexual problems, sleep problems, urinary problems and problems with processingmemory or thoughts.

What causes Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s Disease isconsidered “idiopathicâ€, meaning the cause of the disease is unknown. It islikely that the cause of PD differs from one person to the next. It is said tobe a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Researchers haveidentified a small number of causal genes that increase the risk of acquiringPD. However, having these genes does not guarantee that you will get PD.Environmental factors that may increase your risk include head trauma andexposure to toxic chemicals. One thing is for sure, the older you get the moreat risk you are of developing PD.

What are the treatments for Parkinson’s Disease?

Treatment for Parkinson’sDisease is dependent on the individual. There is no universal treatment optionor medication for this illness. Each patient should be assessed by their doctorand treatment should focus on the presenting symptoms of the patient. Forexample, one of the most commonly prescribed medications is levadopa. Itabsorbed in the intestine and the brain converts it into dopamine (the missingneurotransmitter in PD patients). Levadopa is effective for PD patients withmild to moderate symptoms. As long term use continues, further complicationscan arise.

How can your Physiotherapist help patients with Parkinson’sDisease?

EXERCISE. There is now anincreasingly large volume of evidence that claims exercise for PD patients iscritical in management of this disease. Exercise can not only slow down theprogression of the disease but has also shown to improve PD symptoms! Exerciseshould generally consist of aerobic, resistance, flexibility and balancecomponents. Your physiotherapist can devise an individualised plan that will bemost effective for you. Specific exercise guidelines are available online, soplease let us know if you’d like more information regarding the guidelines.

DID YOU KNOW: 30% of diagnosedParkinson’s Disease patients do not have a resting tremor.