Treating Parkinson’s, ‘Big’ makes better – Hornell Evening Tribune

By Jason JordanThe Evening Tribune

HORNELL Science is making advances in the treatment of neurological disorders, including its most recognizable form, Parkinsons disease.

Parkinsons disease is a degenerative neurological disorder that causes the loss of brain cells in the part of the brain that produces dopamine, a chemical that is responsible for coordination, movement and animation.

Dopamine is what tells your muscles and cells to do things, since (patients)dont get enough to activate, their movements are much smaller, Deborah Towle, DPT, of Maple City Physical Therapy, explained.

More than 10 million people live with the disease worldwide, and approximately 60,000 Americans will be diagnosed with it this year, according to the Parkinsons Disease Foundation.

Parkinsons patients face several challenges, some of which may be reversed by the therapy offered.

They often have trouble starting, then stopping movements. Once they get going they can get in a rhythm, but their movements tend to be very small, Towle said, making those living with Parkinson'sself-conscious about how the rest of the world sees them.

Recently, Maple City Physical Therapy became the only therapy practice in the area offering treatment for Parkinsons disease, when Towle became certified to help patients with Parkinsons and other neurological disorders regain a sense of normalcy, and pause the progression of their symptoms.

Working with people with neurological conditions tends to be a lot more interesting, she said. You have to be creative in the ways you treat them because they may not be able to do something in a specific way.

The therapy is a form of "physiotherapy," aimed at retraining the brain to do things in a different way.

You cant change the amount of dopamine in their brain, but you can get them to recognize that their movements are small, Towlesaid.

In the process, patients are taught to exaggerate their motion.

Its everything from opening a door big, to greeting someone with a big handshake, or even getting out of the car, she said. Its breaking down those harder, complex tasks into something more manageable.

According to the therapist, results are measurable and backed by years of study.Towle keeps data and video recordings ofsessions with patients to track progress.

They can take bigger steps, they can walk longer without having to take breaks, they can do things as simple as walk through a door without taking more than five seconds, she said. They dont have to think, their daily life gets a lot easier.

Therapy has also been shown to reduce the risk of related falls, and delay the need for medications or expensivesurgical options that should be a left as alast resort, according to Towle.

Your body can get used to the dosage of medication you take, so its better to start that later and increase it as you go. If you do PT youll get to that point of Plateau where you can't take more medication, but the dose doesn't work for you much later in the game, even years later, she said.

The exercises are most effective for people in stage one or two of the disease, and can help reverse the stooped posture, flat facial affect, and shuffled gait that often accompanies Parkinsons earliest stages.

However, the therapy can be applied to any patient.

You can even modify it forsomeone whois homebound, Towle said. Even in the later phases, its better than doing nothing at all.

Despite the advantages of therapy, many patients still ignore their symptoms.

So many people have a diagnosis, but they dont even know what the heck it means. I have people come in with Parkinsons who have no idea whats going on with their brain There seems to be some kind of disconnect, Towle said, urging for more public outreach on treatment options.

Even general exercise can have a slowing effect on the diseases symptoms. People with Parkinson's often die from Pneumonia, as they become less active and independent, giving up driving and other activities that drastically affect their quality of life.

In addition to Parkinsons, Towle also sees patients who need rehabilitation from stroke, Multiple Sclorosis, spinal cord injury, Huntingtons disease and other neurological disorders.

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Treating Parkinson's, 'Big' makes better - Hornell Evening Tribune