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Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that can wreak havoc over the years. But Parkinson’s disease often starts out as barely noticeable: a minor tremor, slight stiffness, or slow changes in your coordination may be the only sign that something is wrong.
However, early diagnosis and intervention, which can include exercise regimen, medications, and lifestyle changes, are essential in managing symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. That’s why medical experts say to look for subtle signs that could indicate the condition, including minor changes in the way you walk. There are four specific walking symptoms that can suggest a diagnosis of Parkinson’s, and you should talk to your doctor right away if you notice any of them. Read on to find out what to look out for on your next walk.
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Read the original article on Better life.
For many patients with Parkinson’s disease, walking can become a challenge, especially because of a phenomenon known as bradykinesia, which is when patients have slow movements, experts say. from Johns Hopkins Medicine. In particular, bradykinesia tends to affect repeated movements quickly, making it difficult to coordinate steps at a usual pace.
Along with tremors and stiffness, bradykinesia is considered one of the three most common signs of Parkinson’s disease, according to the European Parkinson’s Association (EPDA). In fact, the organization claims that 98 percent of people with Parkinson’s disease experience slowness of movement, and it’s often one of the first symptoms patients notice early in the progression of the disease.
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Many Parkinson’s disease patients who suffer from bradykinesia also suffer from hypokinesia, which is a reduced range or range of motion. “Hypokinesia refers to the fact that in addition to being slow, movements are also smaller than desired,” says a 2001 study published in the journal Neurology. Brain.
Due to the mismatch between the expected or predicted range of motion and actual motion, people with hypokinesia tend to experience more frequent injuries. “A reduced range of motion can reduce the size of a step, so that if a patient stumbles over an obstacle, they may not recover because they are not taking a step big enough to avoid falling,” according to a study by 2012 published in the journal. Cold Spring Harbor Prospects in Medicine.
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In addition to slower walking and shorter gait, some patients with Parkinson’s disease find that their arms stop swinging naturally when they walk. For a study published in 2012 in the journal Gait and posture, Penn State researchers compared the arm movements of eight patients with early-stage Parkinson’s disease to those of eight people without Parkinson’s disease. Each group walked for eight minutes with accelerometers attached to their limbs to measure the speed and range of motion of their arms. The team found that people with Parkinson’s disease had significant arm swing asymmetry when walking compared to the control group, meaning that one of their arms swayed much less than the other. .
“Measuring arm swing asymmetry and coordination with our method may be the cheapest and most effective way to detect Parkinson’s disease early in patients’ life when symptoms can still be treated. disease and improve longevity ”, co-author of the study Etienne Piazza, PhD, professor of kinesiology at Penn State, said in a statement.
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Another change in your walking that can indicate Parkinson’s disease is a motor disturbance known as “freezing”. As experts at Johns Hopkins explain: “It’s when you try to take a step forward and suddenly feel unable to do so, like your foot is ‘stuck’ to the ground. The symptom tends to be more noticeable in patients whose Parkinson’s disease has progressed over a longer period of time.
“Freezing normally occurs in specific situations such as when you start to walk, when you go through a door, when you try to turn a corner or when you approach a chair,” explains Australian health organization Parkinson’s. Victoria. “This is normally only temporary, and once this position is changed, the person can often resume walking freely.” Episodes usually only last a few seconds and are often triggered by multiple or complex tasks.
If you notice this symptom or any other serious change in the way you walk, it is important to talk to your doctor. “Sometimes these symptoms are mild and not really disruptive”, Gwenn smith, PhD, director of the division of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neuropsychiatry at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, reports on the Johns Hopkins Medicine website. “But they say you should see a neurologist for an evaluation.”
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