How Parkinsons Disease Effects on the Quality of Life - Paper Example

Parkinsons disease (PD) is a very common nervous system disorder. The disease is characterized by a progressive degeneration of dopamine, a critical compound found in the brain. Mostly, it affects elderly persons, and its prevalence rates vary across various regions around the world. In the US, statistics indicate that at least one million people live with Parkinsons disease at any given period. Annually, it is estimated that 60,000 new cases are diagnosed, suggesting that the number of people who are living with the illness might be actually higher than the current figures. Over the recent past, there has been significant progress in so far as the treatment of the disease is concerned. Although there is no current standard treatment for the disease (National Parkinson Foundation, 2017), medical practice has established that exercises play a prominent role in addressing the effect of the disease on the quality of the lives of the affected persons. This paper will explore the impact of specialized exercise programs on the quality of the lives of people living with Parkinsons disease.

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Engaging in physical exercise is a very decisive way of promoting healthy living for everyone, including patients. However, for persons living with PD, exercise allows movement of the various body parts that facilitate daily performance of activities essential for human survival (National Parkinson Foundation, 2017). Considerable research has been done on the impact of exercises on the well-being of PD patients, and most findings suggest that physical exercises play a critical role in enabling PD patients to lead a normal life. This impact is felt across all stages of the development of the disease, even among patients living with its severest form (Lauze, Daneault, & Duval, 2016). The widespread preference for exercises in the treatment and management of PD has been attributed to the findings of numerous studies which suggest that physical therapy is more effective than pharmacological interventions (Borrione, Tranchita, Sansone, & Parisi, 2014; National Parkinson Foundation, 2017).

Parkinsons disease manifests itself in poor motion, tremor and rigidity which are induced by a decline in the dexterity of the affected persons (Murray et al., 2014). There is a consensus in the medical science community that physical activity remains the most effective strategy for treating the symptoms of the disease. The nature of the symptoms illustrate the reasons as to why physical therapy protocol focuses on cueing strategies, cognitive movement strategies, and enhanced physical balance (Borrione, 2014; Lauze, Daneault, & Duval, 2016).Each patient has his or her unique way of responding to infections .As such, affected persons receive individualized physical therapy interventions. This strategy has often been employed because research has found that there is a high variability in symptoms and the progression of the disease among patients(Lauze, Daneault, & Duval, 2016).This regimen is expected to improve speed and stride length, balance, tremor, grip strength, flexibility, motor coordination, and the overall quality of life (Borrione et al., 2014; Murray, Sacheli, Eng, & Stoessl, 2014; National Parkinson Foundation, 2017).The effect of physical therapy on each of the symptoms already highlighted will be the subject of discussion in the succeeding sections of the paper.

Improvement in gait, posture, and balance are common clinically observable outcomes of subjecting patients with PD to vigorous physical activities. PD patients who undergo rehabilitation programs show superior steady standing and reaction to external pressures compared to those than do not. Notably, there is a significant improvement among PD patients in the shoulder tug after a reasonable period of professionally-designed physical activity (Stozek et al., 2015).These findings were corroborated in a recent study which found that professionally-designed rehabilitation programs yield the best outcomes in terms of addressing the symptoms of gait, posture, and balance among patients with PD (Lauze, Daneault, & Duval, 2016).

There is also scholarly evidence to suggest that physical activity among patients with PD improves their metabolic activities. Any physical exercise is bound to improve blood circulation in the body. As more blood more circulates to body organs, more oxygen is also transmitted to these organs, improving oxygen consumption in the body (Zhang & Tian, 2014). In their study, Lauze, Daneault, and Duval (2016) rated the positive outcomes of exercise as good (57%) in regards to the improvement of metabolic activities for persons with PD. Oxygen consumption outcomes for patients under rehabilitation programs was also rated as very good. As such, it can be inferred that PD patients who are under physical rehabilitation live a better life than those that do not exercise due to increased ability of the body to generate the sufficient energy required for the proper functioning of the body.

Rehabilitation programs have a positive impact on the mobility of PD patients. Brienesse et al. (2013) describe mobility as the ability to move around in safely in different circumstances and showing good control of gait and balance. When a PD patient exhibits the mentioned characteristics, they may be considered as having a higher motor performance. Studies conducted by Nakae and Tsushima (2014) on home-based care found that rehabilitation programs for patients living with PD show superior signs of improvement compared to patients who do not undergo any physical activity designed by health professionals. The point of emphasis in exercise interventions is in the persons that design the exercise program for patients; they must be designed and guided by experts for them to yield the results that have been highlighted.

Mobility is a critical function of the body which allows individuals to perform daily activities in different environments. Research has revealed that the ability of exercises to enhance mobility confers some benefits to the patient which are tied to the performance of daily self-sustaining activities. Since people living with PD face the risk of falls (Gobbi et al., 2013), the ability of exercises to improve mobility means that patients can perform daily tasks through movement from point to another without suffering injuries. Any intervention that improves patients capabilities of moving from one place to the next has a positive implication on people living with PD (Brienesse et al., 2013; National Parkinson Foundation, 2017).This is due to the several benefits that accrue including better speech, and enhanced capability of patients to eat on their own, and reduction of the progression of the disease.

Patients who live with PD exhibit a range of cognitive defects and a majority of the patients start showing the symptoms at a later stage of the development. However, these symptoms often worsen as the time goes by, and a considerable amount of research has found that cognitive symptoms often dominate the clinical features (Gobbi et al., 2013).For this reason, the effect of exercises on cognitive functions among patients living with PD has received a lot of interest from scholars.

Programmed exercises have the potential to reduce the inflammation of the brain, a degenerative process that undermines spatial learning (Borrione et al., 2014).This effect explains various findings that group exercises occupy an influential position in reducing cognitive dysfunctions. Loss of memory and enhanced stress levels are some of the effects of PD that undermine patients cognitive skills. As Brienesse et al. (2013) found, most PD patients lose memory due to the development dementia. Also, increased levels of stress have been attributed to the effects of adjusting to the reality of suffering PD and also the response to medication after diagnosis. In a study conducted by Gobbi et al. (2013), it was found that there was a significant improvement in memory as well as reduced levels of stress when PD patients were subjected to group activities. The research findings indicate that group activities have more impact on the patients with PD compared individual exercises due to their effect on relational skills.

Studies have shown that group exercises reduce the level of stress among patients with PD. Stress worsens the symptoms related to PD. Some parts of the brain such as motor cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum, are critical for effective performance of motor functions. These areas are susceptible to stress and, therefore, continued exposure to stress selectively induces a degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system (Gobbi et al., 2013).It is critical to note that it is the level of stress that contributes to the worsening of the situation of PD patients, especially after diagnosis. For instance, minimal levels of stress have a positive effect on the functions such as memory, executive functions, and visuospatial orientation. However, prolonged or severe stressors may have a detrimental effect on cognitive performance of PD patients (Gobbi et al., 2013; Borrione et al., 2014). The highlighted effect informs the suggestion that interventions that seek to reduce the level of stress add value to people living with PD.

Physical exercises have been found to have a positive effect on cognitive components of motor control (Petzinger et al., 2013).PD patients who are subjected to exercises learn movements and skills they performed automatically and subconsciously before symptoms of PD began. These outcomes are more likely to be achieved when aerobic and goal-based exercises regime is administered (Brienesse et al., 2013). These outcomes assist patients to live with the disease since some of the cognitive functions that are impaired during the progression of the disorder are mitigated through physical activity.

As the symptoms of PD progress, the ability of the affected individuals to process and store information is significantly affected (Petzinger et al., 2013; Borrione et al., 2014).At this stage, patients are likely to experience memory problems. Indeed, studies of Gobbi et al. (2013) indicate that at least 83% of PD patients are likely to develop dementia, a condition characterized by considerable loss of memory. Studies focusing on the effect of physical activity on memory show that several changes occur in some sections of the brain which improve episodic declarative memory and cognitive functions. These changes showed that when physical exercises involve the performance of cognitive activities, certain areas of the patients memory are enhanced (Gobbi et al., 2013; National Parkinson Foundation, 2017). Moreover, exercises result in changes in the basal ganglia linked to cognition. Although current scientific information fails to elucidate the mechanisms behind these changes, their impact has been found to improve learning and memory (Murray et al., 2014). A stable memory means the PD patients are in a better situation to handle motor functions hence a higher likelihood to lead an improved quality of life.

The effect of exercises on the general performance of executive functions has been a subject of investigation by many neuroscience scholars. Scholarly evidence suggests impairment to executive functions is a major contributor to the age-related decline of cognitive abilities. When older people engage in vigorous exercises, there is a substantial improvement in their ability to perform cognitive tasks (Gobbi et al., 2013; Petzinger et al., 2013).Vigorous exercises such as running or riding a bicycle have been found to minimize changes to the brain that are associated with aging. This means that chances of impairment to cognitive abilities are minimized (Na...