TPS-Therapy for Parkinson's disease

Along with Alzheimer’s dementia, other forms of dementia and stroke, Parkinson’s disease is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system. In Parkinson’s disease, nerve cells in the brain also die disproportionately. Around 400,000 people in Germany are affected by the so-called shaking disease, whereby 10% of patients are still under 40 years of age at the time of diagnosis. In most cases, the first clear symptoms appear between the ages of 50 and 60. Parkinson’s disease is therefore not just a disease of old age, but can also affect younger people. Hollywood actor Michael J. Fox, for example, was only 29 years young when he was diagnosed. Today he is over 60 years old and is intensively involved in Parkinson’s research with unbroken optimism.

The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease vary among sufferers. On the physical level, so-called akinesia, i.e. a lack of movement, can occur, so that movements, especially in the legs and arms, become increasingly difficult. Patients are often only able to walk in small, clumsy steps. Other features of the disease are rigor, a stiffening of the muscles, and tremor, i.e. trembling of the hands. In addition, there is anxiety, depression and insomnia. The development of the disease symptoms can vary widely, and the duration between the first signs and an onset of Parkinson’s can also be years.

Transcranial Pulse Stimulation as a Treatment Option for Parkinson’s disease

Current standard drug treatment for patients with Parkinson’s disease provides only minimal and short-term relief of symptoms. As a result, most patients experience limited benefits, especially since treatment responses vary widely.

As part of decades of research on shock waves for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, transcranial pulse stimulation has been used in the clinical setting for Parkinson’s disease for more than 10 years, and with great success. Clinical data show that thanks to TPS, patients can live for many years with significantly reduced symptoms, in some cases almost symptom-free.

Large placebo-controlled studies of TPS in relation to Parkinson’s have been ongoing for several years and are currently awaiting publication. Thereafter, further single-indication approval for the use of TPS in Parkinson’s may occur in the near future.

Parkinson’s Treatment with TPS in Our Practices: a Useful and Effective Therapeutic Option.

For almost two years now, we have been treating Parkinson’s patients with various degrees of severity and different main symptomatology with Transcranial Pulse Stimulation. Almost all patients benefit from the therapy – both in terms of physical limitations and in the psychological sphere: many patients report a decrease in anxiety and restlessness, improved sleep, and a reduction in inner restlessness, which are often associated with Parkinson’s disease.

In terms of therapy delivery, we treat Parkinson’s patients as part of “off-label-use” therapy according to the same regimen as Alzheimer’s dementia patients.