Because Parkinson's disease is just one of several neurologic movement disorders that produce similar symptoms, it’s important that you see a physician who has experience with all of the different disorders that can masquerade as Parkinson's disease.
In some of these diseases, people quickly become totally disabled; in others, the disease progresses extremely slowly; and in yet others, illness is chronic (always present) and may have more severe symptoms as time goes on. Because the natural history, or progression, of these diseases varies greatly, proper diagnosis is crucial. People need to know which disease they have.
The Neurologic Examination
The patient’s evaluation at the Booth Gardner Parkinson’s Care Center begins with a neurologic examination – a thorough evaluation of the nervous system. The doctor takes a medical history, performs a physical examination and observes aspects of the patient's movement, coordination and balance. The doctor will also ask the patient and family members about symptoms.
Since there is no diagnostic test that can confirm Parkinson's disease, physicians must base their diagnosis of Parkinson's on judgment. Physicians are intimately familiar with the characteristic history and the signs and symptoms found when examining a person with Parkinson's.
They then must judge how closely the patient’s history of symptoms and the findings from the physical examination match those of typical Parkinson's disease.