What is the best way to exercise for Parkinson's disease?

Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
Updated on November 22, 2024
00:00
00:00

Patients with Parkinson's disease should undergo comprehensive treatment and full management. Drug treatment is the core treatment plan, but it is also necessary to include physical rehabilitation and psychological therapy. For physical therapy, patients should be encouraged to exercise more, as this can help improve symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. The type and intensity of exercise should be chosen based on the patient's motor symptoms. Tai Chi, jogging, brisk walking, and aerobics are all suitable forms of exercise, and it is advisable to exercise four times a week, with each session lasting about 30 minutes. Evidence has shown that Tai Chi can improve patients' balance disorders, and long-term persistence in exercise can help improve their quality of life.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
48sec home-news-image

Can people with Parkinson's disease drink alcohol?

Patients with Parkinson's disease should not drink alcohol. This is primarily due to concerns that due to the symptoms of movement slowness and muscle rigidity, they may exhibit abnormal postural balance, greatly increasing the risk of falling. Consuming alcohol can inhibit the function of the cerebellum, exacerbating limb ataxia and increasing the risk of falling, which poses significant risks to the patient. Therefore, to protect the balance function of patients and prevent the risk of falling, they should not consume alcohol. Additionally, patients with Parkinson's disease often need to take multiple medications for their condition, and these medications should not be taken with alcohol to avoid exacerbating any adverse reactions.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
1min 3sec home-news-image

Early symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease is a relatively common degenerative disease in the elderly, primarily causing the death of dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain, leading to corresponding clinical manifestations. Research has confirmed that other systems may also be damaged in the early stages of Parkinson's disease symptoms. The early symptoms may primarily include: First, patients experience persistent constipation, which is a very important early symptom of Parkinson's disease. Second, some patients may experience sleep disturbances, mainly characterized by tossing and turning, shouting out loud during sleep, without being aware of it. Additionally, some patients in the early stages may also experience a reduced sense of smell, constipation, cognitive impairment, and other clinical manifestations. There are also some early motor symptoms, mainly that the patient becomes clumsy and inflexible in the movements of one side of the body. These are the early symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
55sec home-news-image

Where to treat Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a very common neurodegenerative disease in neurology. Therefore, if Parkinson's disease is suspected, treatment can be sought in the neurology department, which is available in most hospitals. Many neurologists have extensive experience in treating Parkinson's disease. The treatment primarily includes medication and surgery. Medication therapy mainly refers to the administration of anticholinergic drugs or dopamine receptor agonists, as well as preparations of Levodopa. These medications can help improve symptoms, such as reducing muscle rigidity and tremors. Surgical treatment mainly refers to deep brain stimulation, which is suitable for patients who have been clearly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease for over five years and whose primary symptom is tremor, without significant dementia.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
50sec home-news-image

The causes of Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease, also known as tremor paralysis, is a common neurodegenerative disorder. The cause of Parkinson's disease is not yet clear, but it may be related to several factors, such as aging, genetics, and environmental factors. Since Parkinson's disease is the result of multiple factors, including abnormal protein aggregation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial damage, inflammation, and excitotoxicity of glutamate, these elements lead to the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain and a reduction in dopamine neurotransmitters in the striatum. This ultimately results in the patient's bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, and resting tremor.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
1min 14sec home-news-image

Methods of Diagnosing Parkinson's Disease

In the auxiliary examinations for Parkinson's disease, routine laboratory tests as well as CT and MRI scans of the head generally show no specific changes. However, in molecular imaging, PET CT can reveal a significant decrease in striatal dopamine transporter. For olfactory tests, over 80% of Parkinson's patients exhibit olfactory dysfunction. Doppler ultrasound can also detect a significant enhancement of the substantia nigra signal. Despite these advancements in auxiliary examinations, diagnosis in patients with Parkinson's disease still primarily relies on clinical evaluation. According to the 2015 criteria, the diagnostic standards are still based on clinical diagnosis, which includes two main points: first, bradykinesia, where voluntary movements are slow and the speed and amplitude of repetitive movements progressively decrease; second, at least one of the following two manifestations must be present: muscular rigidity or resting tremor.