Delaying rehab raised mortality risk regardless of disability level

Written by Andrea Lobo | Aug. 24, 2026

• Parkinson's disease involves the progressive loss of dopamine-producing neurons, leading to motor symptoms.
• Starting rehabilitation within the first year of a Parkinson's diagnosis may be linked to longer survival.
• Delaying rehabilitation is associated with a progressively higher risk of mortality across all disability levels.

Starting rehabilitation within the first year after a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis may be associated with longer survival, even among people who had already developed disability, a nationwide South Korean study found.

Delaying rehabilitation was associated with progressively higher mortality risk across all disability levels, including among people without functional impairment.

Researchers said these findings “indicate that the survival benefit of timely rehabilitation is not confined to the pre-disability stage; even among individuals with functional impairment, the prompt initiation of rehabilitation therapy remains meaningfully associated with improved long-term outcomes.”

The study, “Timing of rehabilitation therapy initiation and all-cause mortality in parkinson’s disease: nationwide cohort study,” was published npj parkinson’s disease.

Rehabilitation an important part of long-term Parkinson’s care

Parkinson’s is caused by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons, nerve cells that produce dopamine, a signaling molecule involved in movement. This leads to motor symptoms, such as tremors, slow movements, and balance and gait problems.

While medications can ease symptoms, they do not stop the disease from progressing, making rehabilitation an important part of long-term care. Guidelines recommend starting rehabilitation early, although in practice this is often delayed until people develop walking or balance problems. Whether starting rehabilitation early can affect patients’ long-term outcomes, including survival, remains unclear.

To learn more, researchers in South Korea used national health insurance data to examine whether the timing of rehabilitation after a Parkinson’s diagnosis was associated with the risk of death, and whether this association differed according to disability severity.