Parkinson's: Ways to Cope with Walking, Balancing, and Falling

Parkinson’s disease symptoms vary from individual to individual in their intensity and progress. The five primary symptoms of those who suffer from Parkinson’s includes tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, postural instability, and walking problems.

• Tremors occur when the body is resting. Usually, the slow and rhythmic tremors start in one hand, or a leg or even a foot and gradually affects both sides of the body. Resting tremors may occur in the jaw, mouth, tongue, or chin. There are some suffers from Parkinson’s disease who feel internal tremors. These are not noticeable to others, but to the sufferer, they are tough to handle.
• Bradykinesia is Greek for slow movement. Frequently those with Parkinson’s disease exhibit hypomimia or facial masking. Bradykinesia is a decreased blink rate, problems with fine motor coordination that causes problems when zipping up pants or button in a shirt. Turning over in bed becomes a problem with bradykinesia, and your handwriting may be difficult to read.