 |
| Kristin Pitstick Spa Manager |
April is also known
for National Parkinson’s Awareness Month. Most of us know what Parkinson’s is
(nearly 1 million American’s live with the disease). But for those that don’t,
I will be going over what Parkinson’s is and how massage therapy can help.
The following can be cited from the Parkinson’s
Disease Foundation (http://www.pdf.org/about_pd).
According to PDF, it is a chronic and progressive movement disorder.
Parkinson’s involves the malfunction and death of vital nerve cells in the
brain, called neurons. Some of these dying neurons produce dopamine, a chemical
that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and
coordination. As PD progresses, the amount of dopamine produced in the brain
decreases, leaving a person unable to control movement normally. Primary
symptoms of PD include: tremor (could be of the hands, arms, legs, jaw and/or
face), bradykinesia (slowness of movement), rigidity (stiffness), and postural
instability. Although presently there is no cure, treatment options such as
medication and surgery are available to help manage symptoms.
Massage therapy can be used to alleviate joint and muscle
pain. A few pointers that PD clients need to understand before starting
massage:
- Parkinson’s is a neurological disease. Although massage can help muscularly, the symptoms will never be completely resolved with bodywork alone.
- Make sure your primary physician and massage therapist are working together as massage may influence the need for medications.
No comments:
Post a Comment