The impact of a coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic-related interruption of regular physical rehabilitation on functional abilities in a patient with two chronic neurological diseases: a case report

BACKGROUND: Regular outpatient rehabilitation is prescribed for many patients with chronic neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, to constantly support patients and their proxies in disease management. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, federal institutions and governments worldwide have directed local or nationwide lockdowns. During these times, the provision of regular outpatient rehabilitation service is drastically limited, making it actually impossible for community-dwelling patients with neurological disorders to receive prescribed rehabilitation interventions. CASE PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old White Swiss man with two chronic neurological diseases, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, underwent a 4-week inpatient rehabilitation in our hospital. The main rehabilitation goals were related to improvements of mobility and a decrease in the risk of falls. The patient gained significant functional improvements that he maintained over the following months, supported by the continuation of physiotherapy in the domestic environment. Due to a coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic-related interruption of the regular ambulatory rehabilitation for several weeks during the first coronavirus disease 2019 wave in Switzerland, the patient’s functional abilities decreased significantly. Thus, the patient was again referred to our hospital for intensive inpatient rehabilitation to regain his physical functioning and mobility capacity. At hospital discharge, the patient improved most of his physical functioning to a prepandemic level. CONCLUSIONS: The interruption of a rehabilitation service due to a pandemic-related lockdown can significantly impact the functional abilities of patients with chronic neurological diseases. This case report supports the claim for continuous access to rehabilitation services for all people with rehabilitation needs.