Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the part of the brain helping to control movement. If you have PD, you have likely heard the terms substantia nigra and basal ganglia. These are the deep brain structures primarily involved in PD. The substantia nigra, and more specifically the substantia nigra pars compacta, begins to degenerate and the neurons in the substantia nigra no longer make enough dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that stimulates the direct pathway in the basal ganglia, which causes movement. When you lose the dopamine in the substantia nigra, you lose some ability to stimulate the direct pathway of the basal ganglia and you lose your normal amount of movement.
Here is an excellent 9 minute video on Parkinson’s Disease. This will make it much easier to visualize what is going on in the brain and how that translates into the signs we see.
In our office, we are not trying to ‘cure’ PD. Our goal is to work on balance and movement in order to help improve daily function of patients with PD. We do this primarily through neurological rehab techniques. If proper nutrition is also a concern (usually it is) then we also address the dietary aspect. We look forward to hearing from you.
In Health,
Village Center Chiropractic healthcare team