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Hibiscus Neuro Rehab

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Hibiscus Neuro Rehab

Hibiscus Neuro Rehab offers physiotherapy services for individuals with neurological conditions.

Our expert team provides comprehensive assessments and personalised treatment plans to help patients achieve their goals, and live their best lives.

16/10/2025

In New Zealand, medical management for MS typically involves disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) plus symptom management. Some key points:

- Disease-modifying therapies: These aim to reduce relapse rates and slow progression. Examples include injectable, oral, or infusion medications (depending on type, stage, and eligibility).
- Symptom management: Medications and treatments tailored to specific symptoms (e.g. spasticity, bladder problems, pain, fatigue, mood).
- Multidisciplinary care: Neurologists, MS nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, psychologists, speech therapists, etc., work together.
- Monitoring & regular reviews: Regular MRI scans, neurological exams, and safety monitoring (labs, side effects) are common.
- Access & funding: In NZ, the availability of certain DMTs depends on guidelines, eligibility criteria, and regional funding decisions.

15/10/2025

Fatigue is one of the most common and disabling symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), affecting up to 80% of people living with the condition. But it’s not all the same. There are different types of fatigue in MS and understanding them is key to managing them effectively.

Here are the three main types:
1. Central Fatigue
This is unique to MS and is caused by the brain and spinal cord working harder to send messages through damaged or demyelinated nerves. Even simple tasks—like thinking, speaking, or walking—can feel draining. It can come on suddenly and doesn't always match physical effort.
- It is often described as a heavy, overwhelming fatigue that’s not relieved by rest
- Tends to be worse in heat or at the end of the day
- Linked directly to how MS affects the central nervous system - The underlying resting activity in the brain is much higher in someone living with MS, resulting in more energy constantly being used, even during rest. This is due to the plaques on the central nervous system.

2. Secondary Fatigue
This fatigue isn’t caused by MS directly, but by the challenges that come with it. For example:
- Poor sleep (due to pain, bladder issues, anxiety)
- Depression or low mood
- Medications that cause drowsiness
- Deconditioning from inactivity
- Increased effort to move due to weakness or spasticity

Addressing these underlying causes can significantly reduce this type of fatigue

3. Neuromuscular Fatigue
This occurs when your muscles tire quickly during activity, especially if there is weakness or disrupted nerve signals. You may start a task feeling okay but quickly lose strength or control.
- Common during walking or exercise
- Muscles may feel heavy or weak with repeated use
This type of fatigue improves with short rests or changes in technique.

Fatigue is real, and it’s manageable—with the right support and strategies.
If fatigue is interfering with your everyday life, talk to us about how neurological physiotherapy can help.

14/10/2025

🚦Parkinson’s Tip: The Power of Pause ✋️

When exercising with Parkinson’s, it’s not just about movement, it’s also about the pause. Taking a moment to stop, reset and refocus helps improve control, balance and coordination.

The power of pause allows the brain to process movement patterns more effectively, helping each action become more deliberate and confident.

At Hibiscus Neuro Rehab, we encourage mindful movement that builds quality, not just quantity. Every pause has purpose.

13/10/2025

Primary vs Secondary Impairments in MS

In MS care, it helps to distinguish between primary impairments (those directly caused by nerve damage) and secondary impairments (those that arise as a consequence of primary impairments or disuse). Here’s how they differ:

1. Primary Impairments
These are direct effects of MS lesions or demyelination. Examples include:
- Loss of nerve conduction → weakness, slowed movement
- Impaired sensory signals → numbness, proprioception loss
- Disrupted coordination circuits → ataxia, tremor
- Altered reflexes → spasticity

2. Secondary Impairments
These develop over time, often because of compensations, inactivity, or muscle disuse. Examples include:
- Muscle shortening or contractures
- Joint stiffness
- Muscle atrophy (wasting)
- Reduced cardiovascular fitness
- Postural changes
- Overuse injuries from compensatory movements

In therapy, we aim not only to treat primary impairments but also prevent or minimize secondary impairments through movement, strength training, stretching, and functional training.

12/10/2025

What Are the Different Types of MS? ✨️

MS is classified into types based mainly on how the disease course behaves. Common categories include:
1. Relapsing-Remitting MS (RRMS)
The most common form. People experience periods of symptom flare-ups (relapses) followed by periods of partial or full recovery (remissions).

2. Primary-Progressive MS (PPMS)
From onset, symptoms gradually worsen over time without clear relapses or remissions.

3. Secondary-Progressive MS (SPMS)
Many people start with RRMS and later transition into a progressive phase where symptoms worsen more steadily.

4. Progressive-Relapsing MS (PRMS)
A rare form combining gradual worsening with occasional flare-ups.

Each type has its own nuances—and your treatment and rehabilitation plan should be tailored to your type, stage, and individual condition.

09/10/2025

What Are the Common Symptoms of MS?

MS is known for its variability—two people may have very different experiences. That said, some symptoms are more common than others:
- Fatigue (overwhelming tiredness)
- Numbness or tingling (often in arms, legs, or face)
- Muscle weakness or spasticity (tight or stiff muscles)
- Problems with walking or coordination (ataxia)
- Balance difficulties
- Vision problems (blurriness, double vision, optic neuritis)
- Bladder or bowel changes
- Cognitive difficulties (thinking, memory, attention)
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Pain (neuropathic or musculoskeletal)
- Sensitivity to heat

If you notice new or worsening symptoms, always consult your neurologist or MS care team—early intervention often helps.

08/10/2025

What is Multiple Sclerosis? 🤔

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition affecting the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system or CNS). In MS, the immune system mistakenly damages or destroys myelin—the conductive insulation surrounding nerve fibres—leading to disruptions in nerve signal transmission. In other words, these lesions or plaques disrupt how the nerves send messages from the brain down the spinal cord and to the body.

Because the nervous system controls so many functions, MS can produce a wide variety of symptoms. While there is no definitive cure yet, many treatments and therapies aim to reduce relapses, slow progression, manage symptoms, and improve quality of life.

07/10/2025

🧠 Parkinson’s Disease: Focus on Quality Over Quantity 🏃‍♀️

When it comes to walking, bigger is better! Taking big steps and using big arm swings helps retrain the brain and improve movement patterns. This is what we mean by focusing on quality of movement rather than speed or distance.

At Hibiscus Neuro Rehab, we use these principles to help people with Parkinson’s move more confidently and safely in everyday life. It is not about how far or how fast you go, but about how well you move.

06/10/2025

What is Dyskinesia, and how does it relate to Parkinson’s Disease? ✋️

Dyskinesia refers to involuntary, erratic, and often dance-like movements of the limbs, torso, or face. It is not a symptom of Parkinson’s itself, but rather a side effect of long-term dopamine replacement therapy, particularly levodopa.

Dyskinesia may appear:
- As writhing or twisting movements
- When levodopa levels are at their peak
- After several years of treatment

It can range from mild to severe and may interfere with walking, sitting, or daily tasks. Management includes:
- Adjusting medication doses or timing
- Adding medications that smooth out dopamine delivery
- Considering advanced therapies like deep brain stimulation (DBS)

A neurologist will closely monitor dyskinesia during follow-ups. Physiotherapists can assist in maintaining safe movement strategies and balance where dyskinesia affects mobility.

05/10/2025

Why do people with Parkinson’s Disease develop a masked facial expression? 🎭

A “masked face” or hypomimia is a common symptom of Parkinson’s Disease. It refers to reduced facial expressiveness due to stiffness and slowed movement (bradykinesia) in the muscles of the face.

This can make a person appear:
- Emotionless or disengaged
- Unhappy or tired, even when they feel fine
- Less responsive in conversation, due to delayed facial reactions

It’s important to note that facial masking is a motor symptom—not a reflection of mood or cognition. However, it can impact social interaction, lead to misunderstandings, and contribute to isolation or withdrawal.

Facial muscle exercises, speech therapy, and engagement in expressive communication can help improve facial mobility and social confidence.

02/10/2025

Why do people with Parkinson’s experience freezing? ❄️

“Freezing of gait” (FOG) refers to sudden episodes where a person feels like their feet are stuck to the floor and they can’t take the next step.

This often occurs:
- When starting to walk
- Turning or changing direction
- Approaching a doorway or obstacle
- Under stress or dual-task conditions

Freezing is caused by disrupted signalling between brain regions responsible for movement initiation.

Physiotherapists can help by teaching cueing strategies, such as stepping over lines, counting rhythms, or using auditory cues to overcome freezing episodes.

01/10/2025

Does Parkinson’s Disease cause pain? ⚡️

Pain is a common symptom in Parkinson’s Disease and can present in several forms:
- Musculoskeletal pain from stiffness or poor posture
- Neuropathic pain related to nerve dysfunction
- Dystonic pain due to involuntary muscle contractions
- Central pain linked to changes in the brain’s pain perception

Pain can affect mobility, mood, and sleep, but it’s often under-recognised and undertreated.

A tailored treatment plan, including physiotherapy, stretching, medication, and mindfulness-based approaches, can significantly reduce discomfort and improve daily life.

Address

3/55 Karepiro Drive Stanmore Bay
Auckland
0930

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm

Website

http://www.hibiscusneurorehab.co.nz/

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