Before beginning any exercise routine, either at home or under the guidance of a team, it’s important to be evaluated by a physical therapist (PT) who is familiar with HD. PT’s will assist with designing, implementing, progressing, and adapting activity programs to optimize health, function, and safety. They are the professionals who will test if the patient is at risk of falls, identify which activities the patient might enjoy the most, and also recommend the best type of exercise to do for their specific needs.
They also play an important role in keeping mental functions sharp by incorporating tasks that will reinforce how to face functional difficulties in a positive way. In addition to being beneficial for the patient, PTs can also teach caregivers tips and techniques to safely engage in patient handling, recommend environmental modifications to improve functional mobility, and suggest adaptive equipment to help you and your loved ones to maintain safety and mobility in day to day activities.
A review published in 2020 that evaluated 26 studies concluded that “there is strong evidence to support physical therapy interventions to improve fitness, motor function, and gait in persons with HD.” The experts that carried out this review, recommend the following physical therapy interventions for people with HD:
- Aerobic exercise, alone or in combination with resistance training to improve fitness and motor function.
- Supervised gait training to improve spatiotemporal features of gait.
- The use of positioning devices, seating adaptations, and caregiver training in late stages of HD.
It is important to note that each activity program and routine should be designed and adapted to the patients needs.
