Pool Therapy For Multiple Sclerosis Patients
Multiple Sclerosis is a condition that weakens muscles and movements over time. Thus, strength training early and often is one of the key ways to keeping the muscles from weakening. However, this can be understandably difficult for someone who has difficulty walking, picking up a fork to eat or simply waving hello. For Multiple Sclerosis sufferers, the HydroWorx therapy pool can be a place for them to more easily build lean muscle mass than would ever be possible on land. Even if they cannot walk down the street comfortably or safely, they can walk on a treadmill in the water without fear. Not only are they protected by the innate buoyancy of the water, but they are given a psychological boost because they arent afraid to fall.
In a case study that was recently done in Great Britain, a woman with Multiple Sclerosis was treated in the HydroWorx pool. She had complained of progressive weakness in her upper and lower left limbs during a two-year period. She had to walk with a cane, and tended to favor one of her legs over the other. This was causing serious gait problems.
Is Early Diagnosis Possible
Experts are becoming more aware of symptoms of Parkinsons that precede physical manifestations. Clues to the disease that sometimes show up before motor symptoms and before a formal diagnosis are called prodromal symptoms. These include the loss of sense of smell, a sleep disturbance called REM behavior disorder, ongoing constipation thats not otherwise explained and mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression.
Research into these and other early symptoms holds promise for even more sensitive testing and diagnosis.
For example, biomarker research is trying to answer the question of who gets Parkinsons disease. Researchers hope that once doctors can predict that a person with very early symptoms will eventually get Parkinsons disease, those patients can be appropriately treated. At the very least, these advances could greatly delay progression.
Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Center
Our center provides compassionate and timely treatment to patients with movement disorders, such as dystonia, ataxia, essential tremor and similar conditions. But our mission goes beyond patient care excellence. By offering educational events and support groups, we empower patients and caregivers to become better partners in their health.
Link Between Multiple Sclerosis Vs Parkinsons Disease
Researchers have found that nerve pathways in the gut and the brain may be linked to multiple sclerosis and Parkinsons disease. Dr. Anton Emmanuel explained, The gut and brain share the same nerve chemistry and have a dialogue. Thats why when you feel stress and other strong emotions, such as fear, it leads to gastrointestinal symptoms, like rushing to the .
The study suggests that an unhealthy gut can trigger the onset of brain disease as the signals from brain to gut can also travel in the opposite direction from gut to brain. The findings of the study were published in the journal Movement Disorders where researchers found that Parkinsons disease sufferers have a higher prevalence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth .
The researchers suggest the bacteria produce toxic chemicals affecting the nerves in the gut and this way causing damage to the brain. This can bring about the onset of multiple sclerosis or Parkinsons disease.
Dr. Emmanuel said, We now think that neurological diseases such as MS and Parkinsons are linked to the gut being more leaky, permitting pathogens into the bloodstream and causing an antibody response. Either the pathogens, directly, or the immune response, indirectly, may damage nerve tissue.
Researchers are now exploring bacterial genomes that can help identify the bacteria so that doctors can specifically treat it as a means of preventing Parkinsons disease and multiple sclerosis.
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Link Between Parkinsons Disease And Als
Parkinsons disease and ALS are a lot more similar than you may think. The two neurological diseases share neurons that are highly sensitive to stress, misfolded proteins and reduced protein recycling, toxic proteins that spread from neuron to neuron, and neuroinflammation which is triggered by the immune system and aggravates the condition.
These commonalities between ALS and Parkinsons disease allow researchers to better hone in on more effective treatments for both diseases.
Multiple Sclerosis Vs Parkinsons Disease: Risk Factors And Complications
Risk factors for multiple sclerosis include being female, having a family history of multiple sclerosis, having certain infections, being white of European descent, living furthest from the equator, living in temperate climate regions, already having an autoimmune disease, and smoking.
Complications resulting from multiple sclerosis include muscle stiffness and spasms, paralysis, problems with bladder, bowel, and sexual function, as well as forgetfulness, mood changes, depression, and epilepsy.
Risk factors for Parkinsons disease include being over the age of 50, being male, having a family history of Parkinsons disease, carrying gene variations, experiencing a head injury, being exposed to environmental toxins, and taking certain medications such as anti-anxiety medications or sleeping pills.
Complications associated with Parkinsons disease include difficulty thinking, depression, emotional changes, swallowing problems, sleep problems and disorders, bladder issues, constipation, changes in blood pressure, smell dysfunction, fatigue, pain, and sexual dysfunction.
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Gait In People With Ms
Long double-support time, slow gait speed, and short swing time were significantly different daily life gait measures in MS from MS-Ctl. Indeed, gait speed double-support time and swing time as a percent of the gait cycle all discriminated gait in people with MS from gait in healthy control people over a week of daily life with a similar, excellent area under the curve . In contrast, in the laboratory, the toe-off angle was the only laboratory gait measure that discriminated our mild-moderate MS from MS-Ctl group during comfortable-pace gait after Bonferronis correction for 13 gait characteristics. This result is consistent with our previous report of a small toe-off angle in a separate group of people with MS during a 2-min walk in the laboratory . The toe-off angle is a surrogate for the push-off phase of gait produced by the power in the gastrocnemius-soleus complex, responsible for stride length and gait speed.
Whats The Difference Between Progressive Supranuclear Palsy And Parkinsons
People with PSP generally progress more rapidly than people with Parkinsons. A person with Parkinsons tends to lean forward while a person with PSP tends to lean backward. Tremors are common in people with Parkinsons and rare in people with PSP. Speech and swallowing abnormalities are more severe and show up sooner in those living with PSP.
For more information on progressive supranuclear palsy, read this fact sheet and insights from the CurePSP organization website.
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Common Misdiagnosis: Multiple Sclerosis
One of the most common answers to the question was multiple sclerosis . Both diagnoses have an effect on the central nervous system. These diagnoses also frequently cause muscle spasms, balance changes, tremor, and impaired memory. However, these are two separate diagnoses.
One difference is that MS is often diagnosed when someone is in their 20s, while most people receive a PD diagnosis in their 60s. Also, MS is an autoimmune disease that over time causes nerve damage. Parkinsons affects the brain. The brain starts producing less and less dopamine, which is responsible for controlling movement.
Yes, with MS which I was worried about for years, but right now I do not know which one is worse. However, my meds are helping a lot. My new saying is It is what it is, aka just live on. My neurologist says that I have stage one mild Parkinson’s disease.
My husband was diagnosed with MS back in 1993 when he had a mini stroke. He was diagnosed with Parkinsons in 2014.
Dementia With Lewy Bodies
DLB is second only to Alzheimers as the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. It causes progressive intellectual and functional deterioration. In addition to the signs and symptoms of Parkinsons disease, people with DLB tend to have frequent changes in thinking ability, level of attention or alertness and visual hallucinations. They usually do not have a tremor or have only a slight tremor. The parkinsonian symptoms may or may not respond to levodopa.
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How Are They Alike
MS and Parkinsonâs both affect your central nervous system, which includes your brain and spinal cord. Thatâs why they both can affect how you move, sleep, feel, and talk.
These diseases both affect your nerves. MS can break down the coating, called myelin, that surrounds and protects your nerves. In Parkinsonâs, nerve cells in a part of your brain slowly die off.
Both can start out with mild symptoms, but they get worse over time.
Common symptoms of both diseases include:
- Shaky fingers, hands, lips, or limbs
- Slurred speech thatâs hard for others to understand
- Numb or weak limbs that make your walk unsteady
- Loss of muscle control that often affects one side of your body at first, then later both
- Spastic limb movements that are hard to control
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Poor balance
Depression is another symptom common to both conditions.
Prognosis Of Als Vs Parkinsons
ALS is considered as a fatal disease. The damage and death of neurons begins to spread throughout the body. In the later stages, nerve damage will affect areas like breathing and swallowing.
Parkinsons disease in itself is not considered fatal but people do die from complications relating to the condition.
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Similarities Between Als And Parkinsons Disease
There are several similarities between these two diseases. Both affect neurons in the body and have a detrimental impact on the motor system, that is, how we move, speak, eat and breathe.
Individuals with ALS can often show Parkinson like symptoms, such as tremors, rigidity and slow movement. Beyond this, however, the ALS vs Parkinsons disease differences tend to be much starker than the similarities.
Whats The Difference Between Corticobasal Degeneration And Parkinsons
The main difference between CBD and Parkinsons is that it usually starts on one side with the gradual loss of use of one hand or leg , and there may be little flicks of involuntary muscle jerks. Walking and balance difficulties usually occur later in CBD than in Parkinsons. Also, in CBD, a person may have trouble with purposeful movements, such as buttoning a shirt or cutting food.
For more information on corticobasal degeneration, read this information page.
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Parkinsons Disease Or Simply Signs Of Aging How To Know The Difference
Parkinsons disease is a fairly common brain disorder among seniors. It causes shaking and stiffness and affects balance and coordination. In some sufferers, it also causes dementia. On average, those with Parkinsons are diagnosed around age 60, although the risk increases with age. Every year, about 60,000 people are diagnosed with the condition in the United States. Theres a good chance that many more actually suffer from the disease, however. According to the National Institutes of Health, this is because its easy to confuse early symptoms of the disease with things that happen normally during the aging process.
Early Symptoms
Knowing how to spot the early symptoms of Parkinsons can help. If you notice any of these signs in your loved one, see a doctor. According to the National Parkinson Foundation, signs to watch for include:
Progression of the Disease
While an early diagnosis can greatly improve quality of life, the disease is progressive. The symptoms can continue to worsen as your senior ages. This may take an emotional toll on both you and your loved one. Youll both be asked to continually adapt to the changes in health, abilities, and independence. Those with Parkinsons slowly lose their mobility, ability to provide self-care and, in some cases, mental capacity.
Is It Possible To Have Ms And Parkinsons Disease
Unfortunately, yes it is possible to have co-existing MS and Parkinsons disease. Given their similarities, you would think that they are too similar for them to co-exist together. They both affect the CNS, they are degenerative neurologic conditions, and it just wouldnt be fair.
However, MS is an autoimmune disease. Parkinsons is not. Given this fact alone, it is entirely possible for them to co-exist.
In 2015, a team of researchers set out to determine if co-existing MS and Parkinsons disease was coincidental or were a cause-effect situation meaning, in this particular study, did the presence of Parkinsons increase the likelihood of developing MS?
The researchers studied 8947 MS cases with 44735 control cases. According to the study, Our results suggest a causal effect of MS on PD in MS – whether this can be explained by the localization of lesions alone is not clear.
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What Causes Parkinsons Disease
Parkinsons disease is caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. A deficiency in the chemical dopamine can cause symptoms of Parkinsons disease.
In about 15% of cases, Parkinsons occurs in individuals with a family history of the disease, due to gene mutations and alterations that are passed down.
Age is a large risk factor for developing Parkinsons. People over the age of 60 have the highest risk of developing the disease.
Studies show that men are 1.5 times more likely to develop Parkinsons than women.
Other environmental risk factors that can lead to Parkinsons include:
- Head injury
- Exposure to pesticides and herbicides
- Exposure to toxins such as trichlorethylene and polychlorinated biphenyls
Testing For Parkinsons Disease
There is no lab or imaging test that is recommended or definitive for Parkinsons disease. However, in 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved an imaging scan called the DaTscan. This technique allows doctors to see detailed pictures of the brains dopamine system.
A DaTscan involves an injection of a small amount of a radioactive drug and a machine called a single-photon emission computed tomography scanner, similar to an MRI.
The drug binds to dopamine transmitters in the brain, showing where in the brain dopaminergic neurons are.
The results of a DaTscan cant show that you have Parkinsons, but they can help your doctor confirm a diagnosis or rule out a Parkinsons mimic.
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How Effective Is Early Treatment Of Ms And Parkinsons
Though not a cure, nipping neurologic disorders in the bud may help slow their progression. But proper diagnosis is necessaryand thats not easy.
Arlie Barber knew something was wrong when, in the spring of 2008, she found herself running to the bathroom all the time. Her gynecologist diagnosed her with overactive bladder. But Barber, then 35, was an avid runner who had never had children. The diagnosis didn’t seem to fit.
ILLUSTRATION BY BRIAN STAUFFER
A few months later, she woke up with half her face numb. Her doctor blamed it on the Botox injection Barber had received a few days earlier, but the numbness spread over the next few weeks to her hands and feet. Along with balance problems and a sense of just not “feeling right,” Barber knew something was amiss. But it wasn’t until she described her symptoms to a second doctor in October 2008 that she started to get answers that made sense. “When a woman your age describes symptoms like these,” the doctor told her, “the medical community thinks .”
Given Barber’s symptoms and lesions, the doctor strongly suspected Barber would eventually be diagnosed with MS, so he offered to start her on treatment. But many of the drugs used to treat the condition require injections and can have significant side effects. “He told me that it was really serious stuff and to be really sure that’s what I wanted to do,” she says.
Early Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis
Early Treatment for Parkinson’s Disease
Symptoms Of A Stroke Vs Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease and stroke are neurological conditions that many people confuse with each other because they can both cause physical disability and they both tend to affect people who are over 70 years old. If you have questions about the similarities and differences between a stroke and Parkinson’s disease, below you’ll find answers to the most common questions and concerns.
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Pool Therapy: A Boon For The Healthcare Industry
The topic of healthcare for people of all ages, not merely seniors, is an important one. Its consistently making headlines, especially with the Baby Boomer population reaching retirement age.
Knowing that hundreds of thousands of seniors are going to be diagnosed with Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Multiple Sclerosis each year, senior living facilities with the means to invest in a warm-water pool with integrated treadmill technology would be wise to do so. By keeping their population of patients as active as possible through water-based therapies and exercise options, a facility could make great advances in the field.
Though none of the aforementioned conditions that have been covered has a cure, they can all be managed through a combination of prescription drugs, diet and exercise. HydroWorx aquatic therapy equipment might just wind up being the deciding factor for someone looking for a long-term place to stay during their later decades.
Cause Signs And Symptoms Treatment And Management Age Of Onset Of Parkinsons And Huntingtons Disease:
Cause:
Parkinsons Disease: PD is caused by the degeneration of the neurons in Substantia nigra of the midbrain.
Huntingtons Disease: HD is caused by the mutations in the HTT gene.
Age of Onset:
Parkinsons Disease: PD usually occurs after the age of 50.
Huntingtons Disease: HD usually occurs in the thirties or forties.
Symptoms:
Parkinsons Disease: PD causes tremors, rigidity, slowing of movements and gait disturbances.
Huntingtons Disease: HD causes higher function abnormalities such as problems in thinking and reasoning together with characteristic chorea.
Treatment:
Parkinsons Disease: PD is treated with dopamine-enhancing drugs such as levodopa, dopamine agonists, etc.
Huntingtons Disease: HD has no curative treatment and main the treatment is supportive.
Life expediency:
Parkinsons Disease: PD doesnt have an effect on life expectancy. However, it reduces the quality of life.
Huntingtons Disease: HD patients live 15-20 years after the appearance of the first symptom.
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