byline Dr. Jordan VanDyke.
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological disease affecting the nerve cells of the brain that contribute to normal body movements, causing them to be weakened or die. With it affecting nearly 10 million people worldwide, and 1 million people in the United States alone; it is likely you may know someone who has been diagnosed with this disease. The amount of people living with Parkinson’s Disease is expected to double by 2040.
What are the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease?
One symptom that most people associate with Parkinson’s is tremors or shaking, specifically of the hands, however as the disease progresses tremors can affect all areas of the body.
Other common symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease include stiff/rigid muscles, shuffling of the feet when walking, general slowing of body movements, problems with balance, and difficulty speaking loudly.
How is it diagnosed?
Unfortunately, there are no blood or lab tests that can diagnose Parkinson’s Disease. The primary way Parkinson’s is diagnosed is through observation and examination by a neurologist, specifically aimed at determining if certain symptoms have been present over an extended period of time. These symptoms can include tremors, balance issues, slowed movements, and stiffness in the arms, legs, or trunk.
Most individuals that get diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease are between ages 60 and 70 years old. However, early-onset Parkinson’s disease can be diagnosed as early as someone’s late 40s.
What causes Parkinson’s Disease?
Similar to other neurological diseases, there is not a single cause for Parkinson’s Disease. Scientists believe there are several factors that can cause someone to develop Parkinson’s. These factors can include genetics (your family history), repeated head injuries, and frequent exposure to toxic chemicals throughout your life.
Besides the factors previously listed, there are other factors that play into someone’s likelihood of developing Parkinson’s Disease, including gender and age.
When it comes to gender, men are 1.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with the disease than women. The risk of developing Parkinson’s increases after the age of 50.
How is Parkinson’s treated?
Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s Disease. Since Parkinson’s is a progressive disorder, the symptoms worsen as time goes on. With that being said, treatment is typically aimed at slowing the progression and treating the symptoms which affect one’s quality of life.
Parkinson’s can be treated with certain medications which help to replenish specific chemicals in the brain. These chemicals help with normal body movements.
For carefully selected patients, Parkinson’s can also be treated with a deep brain stimulator. This device is implanted in the brain and helps send electrical impulses to areas of the brain that assist with smooth, fluid body movement. Deep brain stimulation is often described as a pacemaker for the brain.
Exercise and sport-based therapies have also shown to help with abnormal movements and slow the progression of Parkinson’s. These activities include walking programs, tai chi (a type of martial arts), boxing, and biking. When a specific medically based program is needed, the expertise of a physical therapist is added to the Parkinson’s treatment.
Physical therapy assists with strength, flexibility, balance, walking, and other daily tasks that may have been negatively affected due to Parkinson’s. The skill set of a physical therapist works beautifully with the needs of the Parkinson’s patient.
There is one specific therapy treatment program for the Parkinson’s patient called LSVT-BIG. This program is offered by highly trained iMove PT LSVT-BIG certified physical therapists.
So what is LSVT-BIG?
Simply stated, the LSVT-BIG program aims at helping individuals with Parkinson’s Disease move better. LSVT-BIG originally derived from LSVT-LOUD, which was a program developed by a speech language pathologist that focused on louder speaking for individuals with Parkinson’s Disease.
There has been nearly 25 years of research on the LSVT-BIG program, with the results showing positive outcomes for people with Parkinson’s.
This Parkinson’s specific program focuses on the following:
- Faster walking with bigger steps
- Improving balance
- Increasing trunk rotation while walking
- Improving activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bed mobility, getting into and out of chairs, opening doors, and other daily tasks.
What does the LSVT-BIG program entail?
The LSVT-BIG program is intensive. The program consists of 16 sessions, 4 times a week for 4 weeks. Each session is approximately 1 hour in length and involves 7 daily carryover exercises that can be performed in sitting and standing.
Every participant in the program is required to perform the daily exercises at least twice a day, for an entire month. In addition to the daily exercises, the LSVT-BIG certified physical therapist will personalize the treatment by focusing on specific functional activities (e.g. getting into/out of chairs, putting dishes away, car transfers, etc.) that the individual has had problems performing since developing Parkinson’s Disease.
At the end of every session, the patient will also be given a single carry-over task that they will practice performing which will focus on those specific functional activities. In addition to the activities discussed above, BIG walking will also be performed. BIG walking focuses on taking large steps, walking faster, and walking with a larger arm swing.
Wrapping it up
Although there is no cure for Parkinson’s Disease, it is not a death sentence. As discussed, several treatment options can slow the progression and help to maintain one’s quality of life for a long period of time. I challenge those who have been diagnosed or know someone who has been diagnosed to not give in to Parkinson’s Disease and to keep moving big!
As a physical therapist, I am biased when I say that I believe every person diagnosed with Parkinson’s would benefit from some form of exercise routine or program. I am also biased when I say that every patient with Parkinson’s should be given the gift of iMove PT. Our physical therapists treat our patients one on one for a full hour in the privacy, safety, and convenience of their own home!
If you have any questions for Dr. Jordan VanDyke please feel free to email him at jordan@imovephysicaltherapy.com. To start receiving physical therapy from a LSVT-BIG Certified iMove PT Physical Therapist please contact us today at (636)893-8312. We look forward to you joining the iMove PT Community!
Thank you for reading and as always…Stay Home Stay Strong!