Congratulations to Dr. Michael Okun on the publication of “Standard of care, falling short: Patient views on accessing physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease,” which appears in the October 2025 issue of Parkinsonism & Related Disorders.
Abstract
There is a robust and growing body of evidence demonstrating the benefits of physical therapy (PT) for enhancing mobility outcomes, including improving gait and balance as well as prevention of falls. Both the American Physical Therapy Association and a 2024 international expert consensus recommended physical therapy as the standard of care for all individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Despite the recognized benefits, utilization of PT is low, with previous research findings revealing PT utilization rates of just 20 % among Medicare recipients with a diagnosis of PD.