Article

The purpose of this work was to study the feasibility of an
individual Parkinson disease (PD) rehabilitation program based on each patient's
prevalent symptoms and to determine the effects of this program on patient's
quality of life as well as the level of patient's and physiotherapist's
satisfaction with the program. METHODS: In association with
physiotherapists with expertise in PD, a physical medicine and rehabilitation
physician, we elaborated a physical therapy program based on the core areas for
physical therapy in PD: transfers; posture; balance and falls; physical capacity
and inactivity. Within this program, we selected exercises tailored to each
patient's main impairment and proposed this selection to their local
physiotherapist for three months. Quality of life was evaluated with PDQ-39 at
baseline and after three months of the individualized physical therapy program.
We built an anonymous satisfaction questionnaire for patients and
physiotherapists that was filled out at the end of the program. RESULTS: One
hundred and three individuals with moderately advanced but clinically stable
idiopathic PD were included. Significant improvement was found for the emotional
well-being, bodily discomfort and stigma domain (P </= 0.05). No significant
improvement was found for the other PDQ-39 domains. The mean global satisfaction
figures for this program were 6.0+/-2.4 and 7.2+/-2.1 for patients and
physiotherapists respectively. Most of the patients felt improved by the
physiotherapy program and especially for transfer, balance, gait, and mobility.
CONCLUSION: Our study found evidence of the potential benefits of a
patient-tailored physiotherapy program. Such a program was feasible and had a
favorable impact on patients' quality of life and on physiotherapists' practices
for PD patients. Specific physiotherapy may be effective to limit physical
mobility impairment. Our results also pointed out that physiotherapy may be
efficient to confine the negative impact of social isolation, pain and emotional
reactions. Such a program should be associated with a therapeutic education
intervention such as encouraging patients to perform physical therapy exercises
alone.
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Langue : ANGLAIS