There is hope for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients that do not respond well to medications such as L-dopamine. The whole body vibration therapy is a new non-traditional machine for physical therapy and is available for use in Ontario, Canada. However, there is still a question if the said machine can be made available in the Philippines based on its cost, effectivity and applicability.
A previous study was conducted about a year ago which showed that whole vibration therapy is more effective in reversing many of the clinical symptoms of PD patients compared to conventional physical therapy. Specifically, this particular study showed that whole body vibration therapy improved equilibrium and gait four weeks after undergoing an intensive three week regimen consisting of 15 minutes a day for five days a week.
Scientists from the Sun Life Financial Movement Disorders Research and Rehabilitation Center from Ontario, Canada have shown that short term whole body vibration therapy significantly improves the clinical symptoms (loss of gait, tremors and akinesia) of PD patients. In this clinical study, a sample population of 40 PD patients were subject to intensive therapy for a few weeks using a Physioacoustic Chair, a sophisticated device containing speakers that are strategically placed throughout the chair in order to deliver programmed low frequency sound waves throughout the body of the patient.The acoustic therapy has been found to have a significant impact on the well being and quality of life of PD patients.
In summary, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), gait assessments and upper limb control tests showed significant improvements on gait stability and posture, increased stepping time and speed on the peg-board task, a significant decrease in tremors and less rigidity in PD patients receiving whole body vibration therapy compared to a control group that received no therapy. This study also showed that whole body vibration therapy may also be applied to PD patients that do not respond well to L-dopamine medication or deep brain stimulation, a complicated risky surgery that involves delivering mild electrical shocks to the brain via implanted electrodes. The latter technique is used as a last resort to stabilize tremors and rigidity in PD patients.
This study quantitatively also suggests that whole body vibration therapy is more efficient (25% more efficient) than conventional physical therapy for partially reversing clinical symptoms in PD patients that do not respond well to L-dopamine. It has been recommended whether further study can be done to know if a combined therapy that uses both whole body and conventional intervention techniques has an additive/synergistic positive effect in reversing clinical PD symptoms compared to single treatment intervention.
The technology used for conventional physical therapeutic interventions of PD patients have included the use of treadmills, different optical and acoustic devices, balance/ gait training devices and low impact exercise machines. On the other hand, the concept and practice of whole body vibration therapy is not new since this technique has been used by athletes as part of a routine exercise to loose weight, improve muscle tone and increase muscle strength. But it has not been applied in clinical conditions like Parkinsons disease before.
Whole body vibration therapy was initially postulated and developed by Jean Martin Charcot, who also developed a vibration chair many decades ago. There are currently a few devices currently in the market that have been tweaked and redesigned with from other existing prototypes. Some of the most well known whole body vibrational devices are sold by Galileo Fitness and is used for many applications including relaxation therapy, strength training and muscle toning, and for physical therapy. The machine looks like a typical workout machine with arm rests, a bottom platform, and a console that allows a user to program a variety of amplitude and frequency settings (18-28 Hz). Once a patient stands on top of the platform and grabs the arm rests, he/she may receive a short session of either low frequency sound waves that allow for muscle relaxation while higher amplitude and frequency settings is used for increasing muscle tone and contraction.
Whole body vibration therapy has also been used in the past to treat patients affected by neuromuscular debilitating and neurodegenerative disorders such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, cerebral palsy, Huntington's chorea, and other movement disorders. It is not known how whole body acoustic therapy works in Parkinson's disease patients but it is believed that high vibrational frequencies help to partially restore some of the sensory perception (proprioception) that is lost during the progression of the disease and is also used to enhance muscle coordination, a physical trait that is lost during the progression of PD. Finally, high frequency sound waves delivered via physicoacoustic devices has been shown to improve blood flow, electrical conductivity and metabolism of muscle tissue.
I am a 51 year old female that just found out I have Parkinson's about a year and half, but I have been having signs of it for years, tremors, depression, body weakness. ECT. I honestly don't think my doctor was reading the signs because of my gender and age. A few years ago I had my shoulder lock up on me and I was sent to a P.T since x-rays didn't show any physical damage. My shaking was getting worse and I began falling. Only when my speech became so bad that it brought concern to my dentist was Parkinson's even considered. He phoned my doctor with his concerns about my shaking and balance problems. By this time I was forgoing shots in the back of my neck for back and neck pain to which once again I was sent to a P.T (although x-rays showed no damage) I was told I had a few spurs which were most likely causing the pain. Here I was feeling like my whole body was falling apart and doctor could not find anything wrong, maybe in was all in my head? My doctor even seemed annoyed with me and things just kept progressing and I just kept it to myself, why bother going through testing and them finding nothing? Well, it was after my second P.T called my doctor about the weakness in my legs and arms, by this time I have developed a gait in my walk and I fell more frequently. Only then did my doctor send me to a specialist and it was found that I had Parkinson's, and that I have had it for awhile. I think because I was a woman that my signs and symptoms weren't taken seriously and therefor left untreated for so long,I was taking pramipexole dihydrochloride three times daily, I Was on carbidopa levodopa but only lasted 90 minutes then wore off.I found that none of the current medications worked effective for me.I got tired of using those medication so I decided to apply natural herbs formula that was prescribed to me by my second P.T, i purchase the herbal formula from totalcureherbsfoundation. com, There has been huge progression ever since I start the treatment plan which will last for 15 weeks usage.all the symptoms and sign has begin to disappear .
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ReplyDeleteMy husband was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson's disease at 57.his symptoms were shuffling of feet,slurred speech, low volume speech, degradation of hand writing, horrible driving skills, right arm held at 45 degree angle, things were tough for me, but now he finally free from the disease with the help of total cure ultimate health home, he now walks properly and all symptoms has reversed, he had trouble with balance especially at night, getting into the shower and exiting it is difficult,getting into bed is also another thing he finds impossible.we had to find a better solution for his condition which has really helped him a lot,the biggest helped we had was ultimatehealthhome they walked us through the proper steps,am highly recommended this ultimatehealthhome@gmail.com to anyone who needs help.