Parkinson's Disease

The primary movement disorders associated with Parkinson's disease include impaired motor planning, dyskinesia, tremor, rigidity, altered AMC (automatic movement control), and impaired postural control.

Some secondary/adaptive impairments that may be present in Parkinson's disease include cardiorespiratory impairments, muscle length joint stiffness, muscle weakness/atrophy.

Some age-related changes that may contribute to activity limitations in people with Parkinson's disease include decreased sensation and proprioception, muscle weakness, vision impairments, vestibular impairments, decreased joint ROM (range of motion), and dementia.

<p>The main functional problems of current priority in Parkinson's disease include the presence of motor fluctuations, falls and falls confidence, and freezing of gait.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Rigidity, Hypo/bradykinesia, Resting tremor</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Diffuse Lewy body disease, Drug-induced parkinsonism, Essential tremor, Multiple system atrophy (MSA), Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Mainly clinical, based on medical history and neurological physical examination</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Older age, family history, exposure to well water, pesticides, heavy metals, head injury, male gender</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Gradual and consistent reduction in the number of dopaminergic neurotransmitters from the substantia nigra to the striatum</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Tremor, rigidity, akinesia (freezing), postural instability</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Automatic execution of learnt motor programs, regulation of simultaneous and complex movements, meaningful planning and organization of movement</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Secondary effects of rigidity in individuals with Parkinson's disease include resistance to passive movements in both agonists and antagonists, difficulty activating feed-forward mechanisms for preparatory postural adjustments, and inability to initiate or effectively make movements.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Different types of dyskinesia that can be seen in individuals with Parkinson's disease include dystonia (sustained muscle activity with co-contraction), chorea (excessive involuntary wriggling and writhing), tics (fast twitch movements), athetosis (slow, writhing movements), and extra movements (often medication-related).</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Non-modifiable risk factors for falls in individuals with Parkinson's disease include prior fall history, greater disease severity, longer disease duration, and increased levodopa dose.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some potentially modifiable risk factors for falls in individuals with Parkinson's disease include freezing, impaired balance, cognitive impairment, poor mobility/restricted ADLs, reduced leg muscle length, depression, and fear of falling.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The major goal of physical therapy for people with Parkinson's disease is to enable them to maintain activity levels and participation in various tasks, such as domestic, social, recreational/sport, and work-related tasks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some strategies that can be used for the treatment of freezing episodes in people with Parkinson's disease include the use of external cues and attentional strategies, such as auditory cues (metronome, musical beat, voice) for start hesitation and visual cues (e.g. markers on the floor at doorways) for motor blocks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The principles of movement strategies for the treatment of Parkinson's disease include: 1) preparing in advance for movement, 2) concentrating on one movement at a time, 3) breaking down complex movements into parts, 4) using external cues to trigger movement, and 5) structuring the environment and modifying tasks.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Some strategies for improving hypokinetic gait in people with Parkinson's disease include increasing step length to effectively increase gait speed using visual cues (e.g. white strips on the floor, posters placed on walls, cue cards with instructions) and attentional strategies (visualisation, imitation, mental rehearsal).</p> Signup and view all the answers