This post originally came out in 2007 in the Parkinson Report and has been so popular that our patients asked us to repost on the treatment tips. Â We will have more on hospitalization soon as we work with NPF on the Aware in Care campaign and…
Poor posture is a hallmark feature of Parkinson’s disease. This stooped positioning has been associated with increased muscle rigidity or stiffness. The typical Parkinson’s posture includes: forward head, rounded shoulders, increased thoracic kyphosis, increased flexion of the trunk, and bending of the knees.
Perhaps contrary to a recent report in the New England Journal of Medicine, resistance training (or weight lifting) is quite beneficial for persons with PD. In a recent paper published from the Applied Neuromechanics Lab here at UF, resistance training led to significant and clinically relevant improvements in the length…
The National Parkinson Foundation has developed a kit for Parkinson patients that will give them tools to make sure they get the best possible care in the hospital. The “Aware in Care” kit is available for free to patients on the website AwareInCare.org and contains: an…
The University of Florida Center for Movement Disorders & Neurorestoration will host the first annual Symposium/ThinkTank on Parkinsonism and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) on Friday, February 17th at the McKnight Brain Institute. Â Discussion will range from clinical to basic science and featured panelists include Irene Litvan, MD, the Director of…
The Dr. Drew show on CNN Headline News has been following the case of 12 girls in New York state who rather suddenly developed a hyperkinetic movement disorder. On Tuesday, January 23rd, Dr. Okun was on the show via Skype on behalf of the Tourette Syndrome Association. In…
UF graduate students in association with the Applied Neuromechanics Laboratory directed by Dr. Hass have published recent papers examining potential strategies for Parkinson patients to improve their ability to start walking. Altering the way you stand improves your ability to start walking. Positive emotions improve your ability to…
The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday published an article about Deep Brain Stimulation successes. Included were the currently U.S. approved indications such as Parkinson’s Disease, essential tremor and dystonia as well as experimental indications such as depression and Tourette syndrome. Dr. Okun and one of our patients were interviewed. Only…
In a study published in Lancet Neurology, UF researchers and researchers from 14 other institutions published positive results of a new form of deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy. The study, sponsored by St. Jude Medical Inc., used a new constant current device and patients were followed for 12 months. Dr.
Pam Zeilman, ARNP, our DBS Clinical and Study Coordinator, participated in a round table discussion on “Improving Quality of Life in Advanced Parkinson’s Disease” in December 2011. The results of that discussion have been posted as a document intended to help nurse practitioners and physician assistants who…
