Influence of motor rehabilitation in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that involves progressive changes in motor and non-motor functions. It affects the patient's daily life and reduces both participation and quality of life at all stages of the disease. Early and regular therapeutic exercises can alleviate the effects of the symptoms of this disease. In the overall rehabilitation, proper drug therapy, physical therapy and, when necessary, surgical intervention are used. It begins when the disease is diagnosed, with motor rehabilitation and drug therapy in order to alleviate symptoms and treat later complications. Previous studies have shown that therapeutic exercises and physical means as part of the overall motor rehabilitation have an impact on the treatment of pain, impaired postural stability and risky falls in these patients.
This study shows the impact of motor rehabilitation included in the overall treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease.
Material and methods: The data were taken from the PHI City General Hospital "8-mi Septemvri" - Skopje. Motor rehabilitation was conducted in 7 patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Data on patients' 10-meter-per-second walking time were analyzed.
Results: There was a statistically significant improvement in performance (reduced walking time) between all time points (p<0,0001).
Conclusion: Regular physical activity shows a significant positive impact on slowing the progression of symptoms and improving the motor function of patients. Therefore, motor rehabilitation should not be considered only as an additional treatment, but as a necessary part of a holistic approach to the care of patients with Parkinson's disease.
Keywords: Parkinson's disease, motor rehabilitation, therapeutic exercises