Parkinson’s disease normally has symptoms that will cause individuals to move slower. Individuals may feel pain, tightness and weakness in their joints and muscles. Occupational and physical therapy can help with these symptoms. Even with today’s medical and technological advances, there is still no way of reversing neurological damages, but physical therapy can help individuals compensate for the changes that the disease has brought. Therapies, sometimes called “compensatory treatments”, include learning new strategies and techniques of how to move. A physical or occupational therapist can teach you exercises that will help loosen and strengthen your muscles. Many of the exercises taught by physical therapists can be done at home. The goal of the therapy is to help you improve on your independence and your quality of life by improving function and movement and alleviating pain.

Physical therapy can help you in many ways including pain, fatigue and lack of coordination, balance problems, weakness, and immobility. There are many hospitals that offer outpatient physical therapy sessions. However, there is a need for you to consult with your doctor first, before going for physical therapy. If you think you can benefit from physical therapy, then talk to your doctor about it, and ask for referrals. Some physical therapy can be completed in just 1-3 sessions. First appointments usually consist of evaluation and recommendations for the type of exercises. The second and third will follow up on your progress and review and expand the program you are currently on. Most hospitals offer additional therapy sessions if a physical therapist is needed to reach an expected function improvement.

Physical therapists can recommend patients for therapy at the patient’s own home, a rehabilitation facility, a nursing or outpatient facility. Most therapists can perform functional capacity evaluations. This evaluation will help them gain more information for your disability claims, which are based on your physical performance. This comes in handy when Social Security offices deny disability to people who are unable to work a full 8 hours. Occupational therapy can aide individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease in staying active in their daily life. Occupational therapists help improve their skill and help show them different ways of completing tasks and introducing handy equipments. Therapists can help individuals perform daily activities with greater ease and more satisfaction. Occupational therapists can also recommend changes that can be made to your home or workplace that can promote your independence.

Occupational therapy can help assess, treat and recommend in areas like handwriting aids, arm and hand therapy, cooking and homemaking, eating and dinnerware adaptations, and home modification. Most hospitals offer outpatient occupational therapy sessions. But, like physical therapy, you will need to consult with your doctor first. The number of visits for occupational therapy may vary depending on the person. Like physical therapy, the first session usually involves evaluation and recommendations, and then the follow-ups are for checking your progress, reviewing and evaluating on your program.