Parkinsons Disease and Movement

 

Parkinsons Disease affects a person’s ability to move. This inability to move is because the different muscle groups aren’t co-ordinating. And that’s because the part of the brain that regulates movement has abnormalities.

So what are the problems a Parkinsons sufferer will experience from their movement?

1. Slowness of movement and rigidity

A Parkinson’s sufferer may be able to make a movement but the problem is they take far longer to complete the movement. The movement is a lot slower than it would normally take.

A typical scenario for this would be when a Parkinsons is walking. Their walking becomes slow. And sometimes they stop unable to move another step. They become rooted to the ground.

Another movement problem is when the muscles become too rigid. Now normally your muscles are always slightly contracted. This is known as muscle tone. However when a person has Parkinsons their muscles are far more rigid. This rigidity is often seen in the legs and the neck.

The combination of rigidity and slowness of movement account for the disturbance of of dexterity, gait and posture in a Parkinson’s sufferer.

2. Problems with speaking

Because speaking requires muscle co-ordination there are often problems when talking. In severe cases of Parkinsons the speech becomes slurred and it’s difficult to understand. However this slurring does not happen in the majority of Parkinsons sufferers.

3. Facial muscles

A Parkinson’s sufferer can also suffer from a deadpan face that shows no expression. And in severe cases there is an absence of frowning or smiling.

4. Parkinson’s Posture

A typical Parkinson’s sufferer will stand with an increased forward stance. This gives them a stooped appearance. The head and chest are bent forward. The arms are bent at the elbows and the knees are slightly bent as well. The result of this new posture is that their centre of gravity has changed. And a Parkinson’s is more easily prone to falling over.

And when sitting a Parkinsons sits far more forward with their hands held close together in their lap.

5. Parkinsons Gait

One thing many Parkinsons sufferers are prone to is falling over when getting out of a chair. That’s because they have a difficulty maintaining their balance after a sudden movement.

And even when they are standing the sufferer can find themselves rooted to the spot, unable to make a step. And the Parkinsons person has to literally force themselves to take that first step.

Once a parkinsons person is walking they walk in small steps, with the knees slightly bent and the arms forward and bent at the elbows. And it’s because of the small steps that the Parkinsons person is prone to fall because their feet catch and the person falls down forwards.

Another problem contributing to a fall is that a Parkinsons person also has a stooped appearance as their upper body is bent forward.

6. Parkinsons Tremor

Of course one of the giveaway signs that a person has Parkinsons is the tremor. This is the involuntary shaking a person does. The tremor increases when the person is at rest and decreases when the person is busy. The parts of the body the tremor affects are the head, fingers and hands.

 

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