Parkinsons Disease
What is Parkinsons Disease?
Parkinsons Disease, or PD, happens when there is a lack of chemicals, called neurotransmitters in the brain. These usually allow messages to pass freely from your brain to your muscle so that you can move about. With PD, there is not enough of these neurotransmitters and messages are unable to get to the muscles causing difficulty in walking and 'freezing'. People with PD often become less active over time and develop poor posture.
PD is a progressive condition with wide variations in the rate of change of an individual. Relapses and then recovery phases are often seen, especially after any other illness such as an infection.
How Can Physio-Neuro Help?
Whilst the main treatment for PD is drugs to replace the chemicals, physiotherapy can help to maintain or improve posture, strengthen muscles that have become weak through lack of use, and improve walking. Sometimes muscles and joints need to be stretched, or balance may need to be improved.
As this is a progressive condition, it is likely that treatment may be more intensive during any recovery phase, with a home programme to maintain progress at other times. The actual programme would be based on individual circumstances.
