Parkinson's Disease

Hello Everyone,Have you ever thought or heard about the brain getting degenerated like our muscles & joints?

The answer is YES,our brain does undergo degenerative changes with aging which is quite obvious ,but there are few conditions or disease which make this degenerative process appear either earlier or faster.And one of such neurodegenerative condition is "Parkinson's Disease"(PD)

Few Myths & facts about Parkinson's Disease (PD)

Myth : Parkinson's only affects elderly people in their 60's-70's

Facts: Parkinson's can occur even at early age of  <50 also, which is called an early onset Parkinson's & it's not very common.

Myth : Tremor is only sign of Parkinson's

Facts: Tremor is one of the many signs of PD & sometimes Tremor is not there at all,but a person might have other signs & symptoms related to movements like slowness / clumsiness of movements,stiffness in back & other joints,reduced facial expressions while talking,changes in walking patterns like lesser arm movements,smaller steps,difficulty in turning,change in speech or as simple as change in a handwriting e.g. small handwriting,signature change,cramping in hand while writing,etc.

Myth: Taking disease specific medicines will solve my movement problems
Fact : Medicines are important to take but it's not the only solution to PD.With PD, medicines & exercises go hand in hand,I mean medicines are just supplementing the substance responsible for movement which is reducing in brain,but whatever stiffness,slowness,changes in walking a person has developed over a period of time that can only get better with consistent exercise routine.

Now the question comes ,Will consistent exercise routine help to stop brain degeneration?
Exercises can not stop the degenerative process but it can surely delay the degeneration & therefore providing better quality of life  plus consistent exercise routine maximizes the effects of medicines.

At last let's see what an early onset Parkinson's patient has to say:

I,in my 40's have been diagnosed with Parkinson disease a year ago. Post that I am on medication and was advised physio therapy by the doctor. I have problems with my right hand & leg to the extent that I almost stopped using my right hand plus I started limping while walking. Earlier I took conventional physiotherapy which didn't give much improvement. Recently I came across Pratiksha Kapadia who is a neuro physio expert & she could do home visits. Being a working professional this was best suited option for me. On the first visit itself her analysis was very different than the regular Physio sessions. She has helped me with small & easy tips to do the exercises. Every session is something new and different so this makes the session interesting & don't get monotonous. Looking forward to continuing with her and getting back to normal.

Tip of the day,
1 )With Parkinson's Disease, aim & go for bigger movements as Parkinson's can really make movements slower & smaller.
2)Get yourself involved in recreational activities of singing & dancing as these two are proven effective as a therapy as well.

Neurophysiotherapist Dr Pratiksha Kapadia- 09769115267

pratiksha.kapadia.86@gmail.com