Resumen de Benefits of Hydrotherapy in Parkinson's Disease
S. Amaral, P. Cruz, A.M. Ribeiro, R. Araújo, P. Cantista
Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an idiopathic, slowly progressive and degenerative disease. The diagnosis is clinical. It is believed that with the increase in life expectancy, by 2020 more than 40 million people in the world will be carriers of PD. The mean age of onset of the disease is approximately 57 years. It is characterized by resting tremors, muscle stiffness, slow and decreased movements (bradykinesia) and postural and / or gait instability. Due to these changes, the risk of falling is increased, the consequences of which have a devastating impact on the mobility and quality of life of these people. As PD progresses, palliative pharmacological therapy is proving to be less effective in minimizing motor restraints, as well as having many side effects. Due to this problem, the intervention of Hydrotherapy has been shown to be effective in minimizing the process of functional decline.
Hydrotherapy has long been used to treat neurological diseases, since the physical properties of water along with physical exercise bring preventive, motor and sensory benefits. The sensorial benefits are highlighted in PD, since they stimulate the balance, the notion of corporal and spatial schema and the proprioception thus promoting greater functional independence.
