What is Parkinson's Disease?

by Dr. Amber Roberts, PT, DPT

What is Parkinson’s Disease (PD)?

PD is a neurodegenerative disorder of the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia is a structure in the brain that utilizes the neurotransmitter dopamine to regulate output of movement. Men are 1.5x more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease than women and the average age of onset is 55-60 years old. 

The four key movement characteristics of Parkinson’s Disease include tremor, rigidity, akinesia/bradykinesia and postural instability. The disease can have a significant impact on how an individual performs all functional movement including walking, standing up from a chair, navigating their environments and overall balance. Other symptoms of Parkinson’s can include apathy, reduced motivation, depression, deficits in sustaining or switching attention and fatigue.

Why is early intervention so important for individuals with PD?

68% of individuals living with Parkinson’s experience a major fall within the course of their diagnosis. Falling can lead to other injuries such as head trauma or fractures. 27% of individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s will sustain a hip fracture in the first ten years of diagnosis which can lead to further deficits with all mobility and independence.

How can Exercise impact Parkinson’s Disease?

Research shows that exercise can have a direct effect of symptom management for individuals with Parkinson’s. It was found that people who took part in regular exercise improved their static and dynamic balance, gait speed and functional movement. Research supports that aerobic exercise can assuage the degeneration of motor skills and depression as well as, improve overall quality of life. Specific exercises that focus on amplitude of movement, dynamic postural stability and movement in the transverse plane can lead to carryover of improved movement patterns in everyday life. This reduces falls risk and improves tolerance to everyday functional mobility. 

What does Parkinson’s Specific treatment encompass?

Treating a neurodegenerative disease focuses on implementing a strategic patient specific plan that includes preventive measures, exercise that evokes a change in neuroplasticity of learned motor pathways, and awareness training to allow increased attention to proper body mechanics. This allows a person living with Parkinson’s to make real changes in their movement enhancing their safety, maintaining their level of independence and giving them tools to manage the motor symptoms present.

There are two proven exercise programs that are specific for individuals with Parkinson’s and have proven to be effective in the treatment of all symptoms discussed above. LSVT Big and PWR moves contain specific movements that focus on targeting patterns that Parkinson’s may impact someone’s ability to perform efficiently and effectively.

The key to this disease is education, management of symptoms and movement!!

Learn about Beyond Exercise’s options for helping to manage the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.

Citations:

Imam, N., & Dannenbring, J. (2020, April 22). The Effectiveness of LSVT-BIG and PWR! Programs on a Patient with Parkinson’s Disease: A Case Report.

Wood BH, Bilclough JA, Bowron A, Walker RW. Incidence and prediction of falls in Parkinson's disease: a prospective multidisciplinary study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2002 Jun;72(6):721-5. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.72.6.721. PMID: 12023412; PMCID: PMC1737913.

Wu PL, Lee M, Huang TT. Effectiveness of physical activity on patients with depression and Parkinson's disease: A systematic review. PLoS One. 2017 Jul 27;12(7):e0181515. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181515. PMID: 28749970; PMCID: PMC5531507.