Students investigate role of occupational therapy in Parkinson’s
University of Wisconsin research aims to create new options for patients
Researchers and students at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (UWL) are developing evidence-based occupational therapy practices to help people with Parkinson’s disease manage their condition and regain the ability to participate in the activities they enjoy.
The research aims to help occupational therapy professionals deliver the best possible care to patients with chronic health conditions. “There’s a real need for more scholarly clinicians, not just clinicians who follow existing protocols,” Naghmeh Gheidi, PhD, assistant professor of occupational therapy at UWL, said in a university news story. “A clinician addresses problems based on what’s known, but a scholarly clinician thinks outside the box to find solutions based on the latest evidence and the patient’s unique needs.”
Gheidi and her students and colleagues are also investigating occupational therapy interventions for pelvic floor dysfunction, chronic pain, and chronic edema.
The goal of occupational therapy in Parkinson’s is to help people return to everyday activities that their motor symptoms make more difficult. “I’m really interested in getting people back to what they like to do,” said Hailey Carlson, a first year occupational therapy student at UWL. “Not just moving their arm or leg but moving their arm to play the guitar or do something meaningful to them.”
Visual, auditory cues may help neural connections
As part of the process, occupational therapy professionals may work with patients to adapt their environment or the way they approach tasks.
A randomized controlled trial found that occupational therapy can significantly improve how people with Parkinson’s perceive their daily activities. However, according to Gheidi’s research, people with Parkinson’s are often not aware of their options when it comes to occupational therapy.
Her team is investigating how external cues, like visual or auditory signals, can be used in occupational therapy for Parkinson’s. Researchers believe that cueing movements may help patients redevelop neural pathways that are disrupted as Parkinson’s progresses.
Studies have found that cues reduce freezing while walking, a Parkinson’s motor symptom. Music therapy can be a type of cueing, with the beat of the music providing a rhythm that may improve walking.
Gheidi is particularly interested in how external cues can help the transition from sitting to walking. Preliminary results, which will be presented at the American Society of Biomechanics later this year, suggest that cues don’t make this transition faster, but they can make it safer, the university said.
Carlson believes her research will help prepare her for a career in occupational therapy. “Having this first-hand experience makes us better at interpreting results and applying our own interventions,” she said. “Hopefully, it will have a positive effect for patients down the road.”
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