Parkinson's Disease and Rehabilitation

Abstract

Parkinson's disease is a chronic progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder, characterized by bradykinesia, rigidity, rest tremor and postural instability. In addition to these cardinal motor symptoms, secondary motor symptoms (e.g. flexion posture, hypomimia, dysarthria, loss of arm swing) and non-motor symptoms (e.g. cognitive impairments, autonomic disturbances, dementia, sleep disorders, pain, hyposmia) appear in Parkinson's disease. The neuropathologic features of Parkinson's disease are dopaminergic neuronal loss in the substantia nigra and the presence of cytoplasmic eosinophilic Lewy bodies. Genetic susceptibility and environmental factors share the responsibility in the pathogenesis of the disease. Although medical therapy may provide an effective control of motor symptoms, rehabilitation is an important treatment approach for improvement of quality of life and functional capacity of the patients. Individual rehabilitation program should be initiated in the early stages of the disease and treatment continuity should be targeted. Turk J Phys Med Rehab 2011;57:38-44.