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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-ND 4.0NPJ Parkinson's Disease

The physiatrist in Parkinson’s multidisciplinary care: from orchestra member to orchestra director

  • Daniele Volpe1
  • Jorik Nonnekes2
  • Marialuisa Gandolfi3
  • Bas R. Bloem2
  • Erwin. E. H. van Wegen4
  • Leila Bakdounes1
  • Mark .A. Hirsch5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Villa Margherita KOS group, Arcugnano Vicenza, Italy
  2. 2Department of Rehabilitation Center of Expertise for Parkinson and Movement Disorders, Radboud University Medical Center, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Department of Neurology, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
  3. 3Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
  4. 4Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, AmsterdamUMC, Amsterdam Movement Sciences, Rehabilitation and Development, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
  5. 5Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Charlotte, NC USA
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Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. It is characterized by a heterogeneous spectrum of motor and non-motor symptoms that lead to progressive disability, which is often insufficiently addressed by pharmacological or surgical treatments alone. Optimal management of individuals living with PD, therefore, requires a multidisciplinary team approach that integrates comprehensive functional assessment with both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. A person-centered framework is essential to ensure continuity, coherence, and tailored rehabilitation across disease stages. Within this context, physiatrists (rehabilitation medicine physicians) may play a pivotal role; however, their specific contributions to PD care remain insufficiently defined. This position paper presents the rationale, reviews the supporting evidence, and provides practical recommendations to strengthen and clarify the role of physiatrists in the comprehensive management of PD. We illustrate the versatile contributions of physiatrists using the metaphor of an orchestra, in which the physiatrist can play a valuable role as a member and, depending on local circumstances and the availability of possible alternatives, also as the director.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{volpe2026physiatrist,
  title = {{The physiatrist in Parkinson’s multidisciplinary care: from orchestra member to orchestra director}},
  author = {Daniele Volpe and Jorik Nonnekes and Marialuisa Gandolfi and Bas R. Bloem and Erwin. E. H. van Wegen and Leila Bakdounes and Mark .A. Hirsch},
  journal = {NPJ Parkinson's Disease},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1038/s41531-026-01457-x},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-026-01457-x},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The physiatrist in Parkinson’s multidisciplinary care: from orchestra member to orchestra director
AU  - Daniele Volpe
AU  - Jorik Nonnekes
AU  - Marialuisa Gandolfi
AU  - Bas R. Bloem
AU  - Erwin. E. H. van Wegen
AU  - Leila Bakdounes
AU  - Mark .A. Hirsch
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/01
JO  - NPJ Parkinson's Disease
DO  - 10.1038/s41531-026-01457-x
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-026-01457-x
AB  - Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. It is characterized by a heterogeneous spectrum of motor and non-motor symptoms that lead to progressive disability, which is often insufficiently addressed by pharmacological or surgical treatments alone. Optimal management of individuals living with PD, therefore, requires a multidisciplinary team approach that integrates comprehensive functional assessment with both pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies. A person-centered framework is essential to ensure continuity, coherence, and tailored rehabilitation across disease stages. Within this context, physiatrists (rehabilitation medicine physicians) may play a pivotal role; however, their specific contributions to PD care remain insufficiently defined. This position paper presents the rationale, reviews the supporting evidence, and provides practical recommendations to strengthen and clarify the role of physiatrists in the comprehensive management of PD. We illustrate the versatile contributions of physiatrists using the metaphor of an orchestra, in which the physiatrist can play a valuable role as a member and, depending on local circumstances and the availability of possible alternatives, also as the director.
SN  - 2373-8057
ER  -