The Effectiveness of Intensive Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation in a Patient with Multiple System Atrophy - Parkinsonian Subtype: A Case Report

AimsMultiple system atrophy (MSA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with poor prognosis. This case report presents the first interdisciplinary rehabilitation program for a patient with the Parkinsonian subtype of MSA (MSA-P).MethodsA 68-year-old male who was diagnosed with clinically probable MSA-P was transferred to a Canadian-based rehabilitation center. He participated in an intensive interdisciplinary program over 36 days, with goal-directed rehabilitation from a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, and speech language pathologist, including remediation, compensation and education.ResultsFrom admission to discharge, he made substantial improvements in Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score (14/56 to 30/56), Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score (61 to 75), dominant hand dexterity, communication, and development of safe swallowing strategies.ConclusionThis case supports a short-term, intensive-based interdisciplinary approach for the MSA-P population to provide educational value to patients and their caregivers, to develop compensation strategies, and to achieve functional improvement which translates to community living.