Parkinson's Archives

Exercise

17th February 2021 by Headsup Neurological Physiotherapy Ltd. Leave a Comment

Life during lockdown is certainly a massive change from our normal life. Maybe you would normally attend an exercise class, go to the gym or for a swim as a way to keep fit and active. It may be that you also have a specific programme of exercises recommended by your physiotherapist to work on at home.

As therapists we often see that patient’s general fitness, muscle strength and endurance can diminish over the winter months as we are generally not as active. Therefore, it is even more important during lockdown to keep as active as possible and work on those home exercises and maybe that regular walk.

Motivating yourself to exercise regularly is for many people an ongoing challenge.

Here are a few top tips to help you to keep motivated. Through lockdown …and beyond!

If it is a daily exercise programme try and do this at the same time every day so that it becomes part of your daily routine. If it’s a programme several times a week, allocate a day and time and add in to your calendar for the week ahead and try to stick to it.
Break it up into bitesize chunks. Some people prefer to do their full programme in one go. For others this is too much so you could break it up into 2-3 10-minute sessions. Do what works best for you but try to keep to the same routine.
Record your exercise for a while on a chart or tick it off on your calendar until it is established part of your daily/weekly routine.
Reflect on how you feel when you have completed your exercises. How did your body feel? How was your mood? Did you enjoy the sense of achievement?
Set goals for yourself. If you can link doing exercise to achieving what is important to you it can boost you to keep going. Discuss your goals with your physiotherapist.
Anything is better than nothing. If for whatever reason (and this happens!) you don’t do so well one day, don’t beat yourself up. Get back on track as soon as you can. Start afresh the next day.

You can do it!

And remember that at Heads Up we are here to guide, support, and encourage you to achieve your goals.

We also have a new online exercise group for patients that have been assessed by us. It is a weekly class in standing and sitting aimed at improving general mobility, strength and balance.

Please speak to your physiotherapist or give us a call on 01306 888171 if this interests you and you would like to find out more. We would love you to join us.

PD Warrior

23rd October 2019 by Headsup Neurological Physiotherapy Ltd. Leave a Comment

We already know the positive difference that physiotherapy can make to people living with Parkinson’s disease. Regular exercise has long been recognised as a powerful tool to help improve mobility, posture and balance. Research by Lord and colleagues 2013 and Van Nimwegan 2011 indicate that at diagnosis, people with Parkinson’s disease are already 30 percent less active than their non-Parkinson’s age matched peers.

PD Warrior is an exercise based rehabilitation programme developed in Australia for individuals with mild to moderate idiopathic Parkinson’s disease.

Earlier this year, I completed Levels 1 and 2 of the PD Warrior course which included theoretical concepts, clinical evidence supporting the PD Warrior approach and practical exercises. Throughout the course we were joined by some wonderful volunteers with Parkinson’s disease and we spent time carrying out assessments to establish key areas on which they needed to focus. These included balance, fine motor skills, dual tasking and freezing of gait. We encouraged them to establish some goals. Each volunteer was then taught their individualised exercise programme. To complete the day we all experienced a PD Warrior circuit together which was hard work but great fun!

The PD Warrior approach to exercise incorporates 7 key principles which are thought to drive neuroplastic changes within the brain, aiming to slow down the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

These key principles are:

High Effort, exercising at a recommended 8/10 effort level
High Power, focusing on strong, large amplitude movements
Frequency, where daily exercise is recommended
Specificity, where the exercises tailored to each individual
Meaningful, with exercises aimed at improving a functional task or helping to achieve a goal
Complex – increasingly complex and adding dual tasks to the basic exercises
Fun – ideally in a group setting

The other large element of the PD Warrior programme is educating, encouraging and motivating each individual to create long term behavioural change with regards to regular exercise. PD Warrior also offers an online community and support.

It is clear from reading the feedback from existing PD Warriors that this approach, although hard work, can empower individuals not to let Parkinson’s take control of their lives.

I look forward to applying these concepts with our valued clients at heads up.

Update on Parkinson’s Disease…

18th January 2019 by Headsup Neurological Physiotherapy Ltd. Leave a Comment

Parkinson’s Disease is thought to affect around 1 in 350 adults, which means there are an estimated 145,000 people in the UK with the condition. It can lead to slowness in movement (bradykinesia), tremor and rigidity. This can cause postural changes, reduced balance and difficulties with mobility.

Parkinson’s disease is caused by a loss of nerve cells in the part of the brain called the substantia nigra. Nerve cells in this part of the brain are responsible for producing a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine acts as a messenger between the parts of the brain and nervous system that help control and co-ordinate body movements. With the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells, this part of the brain is unable to work normally, causing symptoms of Parkinson’s to appear.

Physiotherapy can help with this. The benefits of physiotherapy for those with Parkinson’s is widely recognised. The 2017 NICE guidance for Parkinson’s Disease in adults recommends referring people who are in the early stages of the disease to a physiotherapist with experience of Parkinson’s disease for assessment, education and advice, including information about physical activity. Additionally it recommends offering Parkinson’s disease-specific physiotherapy for people who are experiencing balance or motor function problems.

Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to adapt to new information, with neurons and neural networks in the brain to changing their connections and behavior accordingly. There is a growing body of evidence that exercise causes positive neuroplastic changes in the brains of those with Parkinson’s Disease.

A significant component of physiotherapy is exercise. Doing 2.5 hours of exercise a week can slow the progression of symptoms. Exercise can help manage physical symptoms along with other symptoms such as sleep problems, fatigue, mood and mental health. It can be as important as medication to help take control and manage symptoms. (Parkinson’s UK)

Access to specialised Physiotherapy can be limited. An audit from Parkinson’s UK in 2017 found that only 16.8% of individuals had been referred to physiotherapy at diagnosis and only 52% of individuals had received physiotherapy input within two years of diagnosis.

At Heads Up Neuro Rehab, we are experienced in working with individuals with Parkinson’s and can provide specialist guidance and support at all stages of Parkinson’s. The time we are able to offer enables us to fully understand our patients’ needs and to provide individualised rehabilitation and maintenance programmes. We will assess your posture, muscle strength, balance and gait (walking pattern) and supply a combination of ‘hands on’ treatment, self management advice and exercise.

If you or someone you know feels that you could benefit from our service, please get in touch.

Recent Parkinson’s diagnosis? What our patients say

14th June 2016 by Headsup Neurological Physiotherapy Ltd. Leave a Comment

We have worked with many Parkinson’s patients since the practice opened in 1997. Some people come to us a number of years after diagnosis, but many come at the early stages. This is what they have to say about specialist neurological physiotherapy at heads up!:

“It was lovely having the time and space just for me. I felt listened to and my concerns were heard.”

“With the help of my experienced and knowledgeable therapist, I now feel that I have the right programme of exercises and activities which suit me and where I am at the moment. This has helped me feel more in control of my life with Parkinson’s.”

“The whole heads up! team were extremely helpful in giving guidance and support, particularly in the first weeks of living with Parkinson’s”

“As soon as I started the exercises, I found some relief from pain and improvement in my mobility.”

“It’s very reassuring to know that heads up! have lots of experience of working with Parkinson’s – I feel confident that I know where to come if I need to in the future.”

“The team know their patients’ abilities and needs and are able to guide patients in a very professional way”.

It is great for the team to receive such wonderful testimonials, but more so, is seeing the positive changes and results in the people, friends and family we treat and support.

headsup! Is a team of specialist neuro physiotherapists covering London and the South East. We are always happy to discuss individual requirements and explore suitability for treatment over the telephone. If you would like to talk to one of the team, just get in touch on 01306 888171.

5 areas neurological physiotherapists work with Parkinson’s patients

14th June 2016 by Headsup Neurological Physiotherapy Ltd. Leave a Comment

Every patient is an individual, we take the time to assess each patient not only at the first session but also throughout the duration of treatment, and to ensure the programme we develop is right for each patient and their circumstances.
At initial enquiries and consultations we are often asked, what are 5 areas a neurological physiotherapist may work on with people with Parkinson’s:

1. Physical mobility – for example getting in and out of bed or standing up from a chair.

2. Improving walking and turning – strategies to get going more easily and get into a rhythm of walking and doing walking exercises, for example marching.

3. Posture – keeping posture as good as possible by regular specific stretching exercises and working together to keep a good range of spinal mobility.

4. Strength and fitness – working on the anti-gravity muscles which keep us upright and making sure that physical activity is appropriate to keep up strength and maintain an optimal level of fitness.

5. Balance and co-ordination – understanding which particular activities are providing most
challenge and working on strategies and building strength and confidence to improve balance.

5 reasons early neurological physiotherapy is important for Parkinson’s

14th June 2016 by Headsup Neurological Physiotherapy Ltd. Leave a Comment

We must remember that a positive difference can be made to people who have lived with Parkinson’s for a number of years. But the question we are regularly asked is, why early neurology physiotherapy is so important?

1. When presented with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s most people will have questions which they would like to put to a knowledgeable professional experienced in the field.

2. Most people want to know what they can do to minimise the effects of Parkinson’s Neurological physiotherapists will give helpful tips and advice.

3. Regular exercise is a powerful tool to keep the body and mind in the best shape possible. Specific advice for each person helps to tailor the exercise and activity to best address their individual needs and preferences.

4. Assessing and minimising postural asymmetry and any areas of specific spinal stiffness together with postural advice help to optimise posture.

5. Taking baseline measures and providing a monitoring and advisory role is reassuring. The person with Parkinson’s will feel that there is somebody who knows about their physical state and can help them to remain as active as possible.