People with Parkinson’s live longer with specialized physiotherapy Study of over 37,000 patients shows lower mortality risk with specialized care

People with Parkinson’s disease who receive physiotherapy from a therapist specialized in treating Parkinson’s patients live longer than those who do not receive this specialized care. This is the conclusion of an observational study conducted by Radboud university medical center in collaboration with CZ, involving more than 37,000 people with Parkinson’s. The results have been published in Nature Parkinson’s Disease.

One in a hundred people over the age of 55 develops Parkinson’s disease. Medication can alleviate some symptoms, but it does not prevent complications such as falls or pneumonia. That’s why additional paramedical care, including physiotherapy, is often used. Previous research has already shown that specialized therapists, who have built up specific expertise through the national ParkinsonNet, help reduce complications. The current study focuses on whether this care also affects life expectancy.

Specialized physiotherapy

Researchers Jan Ypinga and Sirwan Darweesh analyzed data from 37,000 people with Parkinson’s who received physiotherapy. They compared those who received specialized physiotherapy with those who received regular physiotherapy, specifically for Parkinson’s-related complaints. In the group receiving specialized care, 28% of patients died during the study period, compared to 42% in the group receiving standard care. The researchers then examined other possible explanations, such as differences in health status or access to care. After accounting for these factors, a difference of 11% remained between the two groups.

First author Jan Ypinga, PhD candidate at Radboudumc and employed at CZ, explains: ‘We conducted an observational study based on existing data. Specialized physiotherapy appears to be associated with a lower risk of death in people with Parkinson’s. We looked at alternative explanations for the lower mortality risk, such as differences in access to care or patient characteristics. Even after those analyses, the difference remained. This suggests that specialized physiotherapy is a form of appropriate care that is well-suited for people with Parkinson’s.’

Promising findings

Neurologist Sirwan Darweesh from Radboudumc emphasizes that the study results show a clear link between specialized physiotherapy and longer survival in people with Parkinson’s. ‘We see a significant difference in survival between patients who receive specialized care and those who do not,’ says Darweesh. ‘But we must remain cautious: this is an observational study, so we cannot say with certainty that specialized physiotherapy is the cause. Still, the data strongly point in that direction.’

Darweesh also finds it encouraging that this form of care is already widely available. ‘The therapy helps prevent complications such as falls and pneumonia, which is important because we still cannot slow the progression of the disease,’ he explains. ‘Thanks to the nationwide coverage of ParkinsonNet, this specialized care is accessible to nearly all patients who want it. That makes it a relevant and immediately applicable intervention.’

About the study

This research is published in Nature Parkinson’s Disease: Effects of specialised physiotherapy on mortality in Parkinson’s disease: a prospective observational study. Jan H L Ypinga, Lieke H H M Boonen, Marten Munneke, Patrick P T Jeurissen, Yoav Ben-Shlomo, Bastiaan R Bloem, Nienke M de Vries, Sirwan K L Darweesh. DOI: 10.1038/s41531-025-01069-x.

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