Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's and is progressive. It occurs due to damage to dopamine-producing nerve cells in the brain, a chemical responsible for sending signals for coordinating movement. Patients with Parkinson's disease experience impaired body movement.
This disease is expected to continue to grow in the coming years as rapid technological advances in the medical field lead to longer lifespans. One major contributing factor is age.
Although it appears more often in older people (usually over 60 years), Parkinson's can also affect younger people, especially if there are genetic factors or certain environmental exposures.
The Role of Doctors in Therapy
To find the best approach for Parkinson's patients, a neurologist needs to conduct a comprehensive examination and determine the appropriate medications. The following are steps a rehabilitation physician will take:
- Conduct an assessment , assess what movement disorders the patient has, which muscles are stiff or difficult to move.
- After that, the medical rehabilitation doctor together with the physiotherapy team can perform modality therapy and stretching to reduce muscle stiffness so that the patient can carry out daily activities better.
Treating Parkinson's patients requires a multidisciplinary team consisting of more than one specialist. This includes a neurologist to manage the patient's medications to ensure their medical condition remains stable.
A medical rehabilitation physician assesses what measures can help the patient's movement and daily activities. A nutrition team provides nutritional support, and other support teams provide support for Parkinson's patients.
Therapeutic Approach
Medical rehabilitation plays a crucial role for Parkinson's disease patients, alleviating motor and non-motor symptoms and improving their quality of life. It's not intended to completely cure Parkinson's disease, as there is currently no cure, but it is highly manageable. Possible therapeutic approaches include:
- Physiotherapy
One type of therapy for Parkinson's disease is physiotherapy. The goals of physiotherapy include helping improve mobility, muscle strength, balance, and flexibility, allowing patients to move more freely and reducing the risk of injury.
Exercises such as strengthening weak muscles, stretching stiff muscles, walking exercises and balance exercises help slow the decline in motor function and maintain patient independence. - Speech Therapy
Many Parkinson's patients experience difficulty speaking and swallowing. Speech therapy can help patients develop communication skills and safe swallowing. Speech therapy also provides strategies and tools to facilitate communication and address swallowing issues to minimize the risk of aspiration and nutritional deficiencies. - Daily Activity Practice
Parkinson's patients are also trained to carry out daily activities independently, such as dressing, preparing meals, cleaning the house, and shopping.
Rehabilitation physicians can also help patients adapt to physical and mental limitations, as well as provide assessments for modifying the home environment to make it safer and more accessible so that patients can maintain their independence longer.
The Good Effects of Therapy
Patients who exercise regularly will feel more relaxed, more flexible, walk faster, and have better balance, reducing falls. They will also feel more confident and have better aerobic capacity, allowing them to perform activities less easily and become more independent in their daily lives.
The best way for patients to obtain the most up-to-date information is to consult the nearest hospital. EMC Alam Sutera Hospital has neurologists and rehabilitation physicians who are trained and experienced in in-depth studies of Parkinson's disease. It is hoped that EMC Alam Sutera Hospital will become one of the hospitals with a dedicated Parkinson's Center , enabling patients to live more optimally.
Article written by Dr. Merie Octavia, Sp.KFR (Specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at EMC Alam Sutera Hospital).