Approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) each year. PD is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that gradually develops affecting movement and usually starts with barely noticeable tremors. “PD can be a silent disease and is extremely underdiagnosed,” shares Kaiser Rehabilitation Center Medical Director, Dr. Perri Craven. “I absolutely agree with the Parkinson’s Foundation’s theme this year, which is ‘Start a Conversation’. There is a real need for education of PD and the symptoms associated with it.”
The Parkinson’s Foundation of Oklahoma is urging people to talk about PD with their loved ones, friends, care team and community to increase awareness. “I can’t tell you how many patients I’ve seen where their family will say, ‘Looking back over the past year or two, they really started shuffling their feet or were not thinking as clearly’,” shares Dr. Craven. “If family members had been aware that these symptoms were related to PD, we could have examined them and started them on the right medications. When it comes to symptoms, there is a fairly characteristic pattern related to PD.” These include:
- Bradykinesia (slowness of movement)
- Tremors
- Muscle Rigidity (difficulty moving arms or legs)
“Unfortunately, most patients usually come to physical therapy and rehab after they have had an incident, such as a fall,” says Dr. Craven. “Because of PD, their gaze isn’t as good and they lose their balance and fall, causing a hip fracture or pelvic fracture, which brings them to the hospital. They may want to focus on the injury itself, but they really need to take a step back and ask what caused this incident. Once we can determine why, we can treat both the injury and the cause at the same time.”
The Kaiser Rehabilitation Center at Hillcrest Medical Center offers LSVT certified therapists who are trained in movement disorders, as well as speech and physical therapy. “A lot of therapy is music based or metronome based,” says Dr. Craven. “Most patients do better with a rhythmic pacing. We also have joined together with ORU’s Department of Music Therapy to create a program where their music therapists visit our outpatient rehabilitation unit patients.”
Although PD cannot be cured, if diagnosed and treated, patients can improve their overall health. “For some patients, we will put them on medications and watch them go through therapy, and suddenly they are able to walk again,” shares Dr. Craven. “Both medication and therapy can help patients. It will not cure them, but it will help the patient and keep them moving, which is crucial.” Once patients with PD become severely in-stage with movement disorders, Deep Brain Stimulation becomes an option, which is offered by Dr. Steven Gaede with Tulsa Spine and Specialty Hospital. “After a deep brain stimulation procedure, patients come to Kaiser for therapy,” says Dr. Craven. “We feel they always benefit from relearning motor strategies such as walking and keeping their balance.”
To learn more about Dr. Craven and the Kaiser Rehabilitation Center, please click here.