Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Palm Coast Physical Therapy
The average onset of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is around 60 years of age. Approximately 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with PD each year and 15% of those are under the age of 50, which is called “young-onset.” Nearly 1 million people in the U.S. have this chronic and progressive disorder.
Although the cause is unknown, the main effect of Parkinson’s disease is the cell death of neurons in the substantia nigra area of the brain. Some of these are nerve cells that produce the neurotransmitter Dopamine, which send signals to the brain that controls movement and motor skills. In the brain of a person suffering from PD, dopamine is significantly decreased as the disease progresses.
Symptoms of the Disease
This cell death that occurs in Parkinson’s patients leads to continual deficiencies in movement and mobility like the following:
• Hand tremors
• Muscle stiffness
• Limb rigidity
• Loss of memory
• Confusion
• Involuntary twitching
• Shaking
• Slowed movement
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Slouching and posture changes
• Diminished facial expressions
• Changes in handwriting (small/tight lettering)
Parkinson’s – LSVT Big and Loud
As of yet, there is still no cure for Parkinson’s disease. The treatments available are medications, which help to alleviate symptoms, and a high emphasis is placed on a healthy diet along with exercise and mobility training. Because Parkinson’s patients are often struggling with small shuffling movements, rigid muscles and tremors, specifically tailored physical therapy treatments are highly effective for retraining the brain into making bigger movements, and incorporating balance exercise that helps stabilize the body during regular every day activities.
LSVT Loud trains Parkinson’s patients to use their voice at a more normal level, and LSVT Big teaches the individual to use their small and large motor skills with more control.
Patient Education is critical to alleviate further injury and to promote the most efficacious healing, and maintain independent function, mobility and communication.
Physical therapy is used to help with numerous conditions in order to retrain the body to improve gait and balance, which is extremely important in patients with Parkinson’s. Patients will also benefit from posture, strength, and flexibility training. There is no better way to alleviate pain, increase range-of-motion, improve balance, and live a more mobile higher quality of life than through physical therapy.
Did you know you DON’T Need a Referral for Palm Coast PT?
Florida is a “direct access” state, meaning patients can schedule physical therapy without having to see a doctor first. We always recommend that you consult your physician prior to treatment.
Palm Coast PT
Palm Coast PT’s personalized, approach is a big key to their success at creating lasting patient and physician relationships. They offer one-on-one patient care and develop treatment programs based on each individual’s needs. Their two Doctors of Physical Therapy solely provide treatment. They not only focus specifically on the patient’s treatment diagnosis but also on the body as a whole, giving patients high-quality outcomes with fewer therapy visits required. They believe in clinical excellence with a strong focus on continuing education and manual therapy. They have extensive training in manual therapy, vestibular rehabilitation, and neuromuscular re-education, giving them a solid foundation to treat all musculoskeletal disorders with high patient satisfaction.
Palm Coast PT’s warm and friendly clinic is privately owned and operated by a physical therapist, which enables them to focus on individualized, high-quality patient care. They believe in the “patient first” mentality and focus on creating a sense of well-being for all of their patients. Palm Coast PT’s patients are like family, and they give them the very best of care!
To begin your journey to healing, contact them today at (239) 430-0123 or visit
palmcoastphysicaltherapy.com.