This is my first post, soi hope it’s in the right place. I would like to know if there is a link between PD and prolonged recovery from sports injury. My husband was diagnosed 5 years ago (he was 66 at the time), and has always played squash. He sustained an achilles tendon injury well over a year ago, and despite physio, it does not seem to be improving. The physio said today that there is nothing further they can do. Apart from being aware of the benefits of exercise, he is finding the relative lack of mobility frustrating. Does it take longer for someone with PD to recover from something like this?
Hi @Notgivingup (great username btw 
),
A warm welcome to the forum. 
There was research published in 2016 that suggests that severe head injury, which causes loss of consciousness, could be linked to increased risk of developing Parkinson’s which you can find more information on here - https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/news/understanding-link-between-head-injury-and-parkinsons-risk.
However, to my knowledge, there is no research to suggest that there is a link between an achilles tendon injury and Parkinson’s. There has been similar discussion on this topic on the forum before (Achilles tendonitis) , I’d recommend that you speak to his Parkinson’s nurse about this as the injury may be prolonged due to his condition. We have a free and confidential helpline that you can contact for further support on 0808 800 0303 or email us at [email protected].
Best wishes,
Reah
Forum Community Manager
I think your question is ‘Does it take longer to recover from an injury if you have Parkinson’s?’, not ‘Can having an injury lead to Parkinson’s?’
I’m not a medic, but I’d hazard an educated guess that age is more important than having PD. I’ve had a number of exercise injuries over the years and I’ve noticed the recovery time lengthening as I get older. My husband, who does not have PD, has had the same experience.