What is Parkinson's gait?
Parkinson’s disease (PD) [especially in later stages] can affect the gait, or the way a person walk. The changes in gait may be called Parkinson’s gait or Parkinsonian gait.
People with Parkinson gait usually take small, shuffling steps. They might have difficulty picking up their feet.
Parkinson's gait changes can be episodic or continuous. Episodic changes, such as freezing of gait, can come on suddenly and randomly. Continuous changes are changes in your gait that happen all the time while walking, such as walking more slowly than expected.
What does it look like?
Parkinson gait is one of several motor symptoms that are the hallmarks of Parkinson’s disease, including slowness of movement and tremors. Motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease come from a lack of control over movements and difficulty initiating muscle movements.
The exact features of Parkinson's gait can differ from person to person, but there are some very common features that most people have. They are,
◻️ Taking small, shuffling steps.
◻️ Moving more slowly than expected for your age.
◻️ Strides become quicker and shorter than normal, It look like you’re hurrying.
◻️ Taking jerky steps.
◻️ Moving your arms less when walking.
◻️ Falling frequently.
◻️ People with Parkinson’s disease can sometimes lose the ability to pick up their feet, which makes them “stuck” in place.
◻️ Freezing of gait can be triggered by environmental factors, such as walking through a narrow doorway, changing directions, or walking through a crowd. It can also be triggered by emotions, especially anxiety or feeling rushed.
Freezing of gait can happen anytime. However, it often occurs when you stand up.
Gait Impairment.
In Parkinson's gait, these Impairments include,
Hypokinesia (Decreased step length with decreased speed).
Decreased coordination
Festination (Decreased step length with increased cadence).
Freezing of gait (the inability to produce effective steps at the initiation of gait or the complete cessation of stepping during gait).
Difficulty with dual tasking during gait.
What are the causes?
In Parkinson’s disease, nerve cells in a part of the brain called the basal ganglia start to die and produce less of a neurotransmitter called dopamine. The basal ganglia use dopamine to form connections between neurons. This means when there’s less dopamine, there are fewer connections.
The basal ganglia are responsible for making sure our body movements are smooth. When there aren’t as many connections in this area of the brain, it can’t do that job as well. This leads to Parkinson's gait.
Treatments.
Physical therapy, along with other exercises to help you practice walking “strategies,” can help reduce Parkinson’s gait. Some of these exercises can be done at home. Consult a physiotherapist to help you figure out which exercises will be the most beneficial for you.
References
https://www.healthline.com/health/parkinsons/gait
https://parkinsonsdisease.net/symptoms/parkinsons-gait
Isury Dananjaya.
Comments