Traditional Japanese acupuncture was associated with marked improvement in drug-related trunk bending, posture, walking, and quality of life in Parkinson’s disease.
A man with Parkinson’s disease developed rightward trunk bending, slowed movement, forward posture, and swallowing difficulty after increasing a dopamine-related skin patch medication. His trunk bending persisted after the medication was stopped. He then received weekly traditional Japanese acupuncture and heat therapy, using one or two needles at points selected through traditional diagnostic patterns and physical examination of treatment points.
After ten weeks of treatment, the patient walked more smoothly and stood almost upright. Measures of motor impairment, quality of life, and spinal curvature all improved, suggesting that this acupuncture approach may help alleviate medication-associated lateral trunk bending and related movement problems in Parkinson’s disease.
