Physical therapy for Parkinson's disease

3/5/24, 10 mins reading

Why physical therapy Parkinson’s disease is one of the movement disorders that demonstrate motor disabilities. Motor disabilities include slow body movements, muscle rigidity, handshaking, balancing and coordinate issues. To treat these motor symptoms properly and effectively, clinicians would need PD patients’ collaboration in performing exercise and physical therapy.

Physical therapy plays a critical role in managing symptoms and improving the lives of Parkinson’s disease patients. It helps improve motor functions including muscle strength, posture, gait, flexibility, pain, etc. It also enhances non-motor symptoms such as depression, anxiety, fatigue, etc.

Clinical Practice Guideline To manage Parkinson’s disease patients, the American Physical Therapy Association has developed a clinical practice guideline based on a systemic review of current scientific and clinical information. The guideline includes a series of sub-training projects such as Aerobic Exercise, Resistance Training, Balance Training, Flexibility Exercises, External Cueing, Community-Based Exercise, Gait Training, Task-Specific Training, Behavior-Change Approach, Integrated Care, Telerehabilitation. The details of guidelines can be found here: Clinical Practice guideline

Recommendation The association also provides a summary of recommendations on each subject as laid out below: