Parkinson's Disease Plays Havoc With Common Orthopaedic ...( ROSEMONT Ill. Jan. 2 --...),Health

ROSEMONT, Ill., Jan. 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Although Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder, according to an article in the January 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the disease also increases a person's risk of experiencing complicated orthopaedic conditions. The author recommends that all Parkinson's treatment plans include a multidisciplinary approach in order to address additional accompanying musculoskeletal health issues.

According to the author Lee M. Zuckerman, M.D., Chief Resident of orthopaedic surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, tremors, body rigidity, and problems with movement caused by PD may lead to other secondary, medical issues. One often-noted example relates to the fact that people with Parkinson's often move and walk less than non-suffers and generally stay indoors. Decreased movement may lead to bone loss, and the reduced exposure to sunlight that generally occurs when patients spend little time outdoors is likely to generate a decrease in vitamin D, which is needed to keep bones strong. This is particularly harmful to Parkinson's patients, since the combination of decreased bone density and instability from tremors and rigidity caused by PD greatly increase a person's risk of:

• Falling
• Breaking bones
• Osteoporosis (http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00227)

Ensuring family members are involved in care can have a positive impact on patient health. Dr. Zuckerman says, "I recommend patients and their families read up on Parkinson's disease so they can pre
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