Medical Advices Blog

Parkinson’s disease usually manifests with a slight tremor or tension in the arm or leg on one side of the body. The tremor is most evident at rest and is regular, typically occurs three to six times per second. The tremor of Parkinson’s disease usually gets worse with stress, improves when an arm or leg moves on its own will and could disappear during sleep.

During the early stages, Parkinson’s disease may occur only with a tremor that affects the thumb and forefinger. This tremor, tremor is sometimes called “count coins” because it resembles the tremor when a person’s own handling small objects like a coin.

As the disease worsens, the tremor may spread more and ultimately affect the extremities of both sides. The person may begin to write in print, shaky and eventually illegible. Besides the classic tremor, Parkinson’s disease often causes tension or stiffness in the muscles of the arms and legs and a slowing of body movements, called bradykinesia.

The rigidity and bradykinesia may be aspects of the disease that causes more disability. May be disabling to walk and perform activities such as washing, dressing or using eating utensils. Problems with balance and posture loss could cause a patient with Parkinson’s disease find it difficult to sit in a chair or get up from his chair. The patient begins to walk hunched over, shuffling and taking small steps, usually without the normal movements of the arms. Bradykinesia may affect the facial muscles, which reduces spontaneous facial expressions and normal eye blink.

Other symptoms of Parkinson’s disease may include:

- depression
- anxiety
- sleep disturbance
- memory problems
- slurred speech or abnormally soft
- difficulty chewing or swallowing
- constipation
- loss of bladder control
- poor regulation of body temperature
- sexual dysfunction
- cramps, numbness, tingling or pain in the muscles

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