Therapies to Help Treat Parkinson’s Disease

Some of the conditions we help treat at Comprehensive Rehab fall neatly into one of our service areas. Torn knee ligament? That is under physical therapy. Stuttering? Speech therapy. However for many others, especially those involving neurological issues, treatment involves a mixture of physical therapy, occupational therapy, and even speech therapy. Such is the case with Parkinson’s Disease. The therapies for Parkinson’s Disease include items from each of the areas.

Focus of Parkinson’s Treatment

As with most neurological disorders, our treatments focus not on the disease itself but on the symptoms. What exercises can lessen the severity of the symptoms? What strategies can lessen their impact on overall quality of life?

The four main symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (Insert link: ) are:

• Tremors in the hands, arms, legs, or head
• Muscles remaining stiff and contracted for a long time
• Slowing of movement
• Balance and coordination problems

These, therefore, are the targets of our physical and occupational therapy work.

Difficulties swallowing and speaking may also arise, leading to the need for speech therapy.

Physical therapy for Parkinson’s patients

While they are tied to specific symptoms, some of the physical therapy for Parkinson’s involves variations on typical types of exercise.

Strength training can help counteract some of the muscle weakness brought on by the disease. Frequent stretching can help loosen the muscles, helping combat the stiffness that comes with the disease.
Other strategies, however, are more specific to the disease.

Having patients make over-exaggerated movements like taking high steps and big swings of the arms can counter the shrinking of movement that is often shown in Parkinson’s patients.
Simply practicing walking can help improve balance as well as confidence in the patients.

Occupational Therapy for Parkinson’s Patients

While physical therapy is focusing on training (or retraining) the body to deal with Parkinson’s symptoms, occupational therapy is more about retraining habits, the things patients do every day but become increasingly difficult as the disease progresses.

First the patient and the therapist must examine what activities the disease is affecting or likely to affect. Then they can develop strategies to work around the issues to best maintain quality of life.

For some issues, it might be a matter of helping the patient train their mind to focus on physical tasks while they are doing them. Things like walking or eating that might never have required concentration now do, so strategies can be used to improve that focus and limit distractions.

Beyond that, potential adaptations are examined. Does safety equipment need to be added to the home or the layout of rooms altered? Are there different techniques for anything from cooking to getting dressed that will limit the effects of the symptoms as well as the resulting fatigue?

Finding a Comprehensive Approach at Comprehensive Rehab

At Comprehensive Rehab’s three Eastern Iowa locations, our therapists will work together with you to develop an individualized approach that combines our different areas of expertise to produce the best results for you. For more information on therapies for Parkinson’s Disease or other questions or to schedule an appointment, contact us today for more information.