How can you tell if a person has Parkinsons? What are its symptoms? Can you control them? Well, if you know someone who has it, then it is definitely not the end of the world for them.
Look at Michael J. Fox and Muhammad Ali. Both have parkinsons and surprisingly they are enjoying every bit of their lives.
The disease, named after James Parkinsons is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Parkinson symptoms may be classified into two, primary and secondary symptoms.
Primary Parkinson symptoms
Tremor: Do you feel uncontrollably shaky? Resting tremors is one of the primary parkinson symptoms.
These tremors are experienced by patients particularly in the hand, foot, one side of the body, jaw or the face. This happens even when the muscles are at rest.
These parkinson symptoms increase while the disease progresses. If you have seen Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic torch in 1996, then you will know what resting tremors are all about.
Bradykinesia or slow movement: Slow movements are typical parkinson’s symptoms. This is usually manifested in the facial muscles wherein a patient’s range of facial expressions is reduced. This usually results to a mask-like appearance.
Not really the Jim Carrey kind of mask but one that looks stolid. Patients experiencing these parkinson’s symptoms have difficulty walking long distances and initiating movements. Guess being slow is not sure all the time.
Rigidity: Rigidity or increased muscle tone, one of the parkinson’s symptoms includes stiffness or inflexibility in the musscles. This means that the muscles are not relaxed even if they are at rest.
One of these examples is the inability of a person to move his hands while walking. These parkinson’s symptoms can sometimes result to a stinging pain and cramping.
Impaired balance and coordination: Parkinson’s symptoms such as posture instability is common among people with this disease especially when they are standing. When combined with other Parkinson’s symptoms, the patient could be in danger of falling.
When this happens, a person has the tendency to “freeze” allowing them to get stuck on the ground. Worse, this may affect speaking and swallowing.
Secondary Parkinson symptoms
Speech problems: This includes slurred speech as a result of lack of muscle control. You don’t want to talk gibberish, right? Sadly, parkinson’s patients have to deal with this.
Stooped posture and fatigue: Muscles, mucles, muscles…parkinsons work that way, slowly attacking the muscles.
Dementia: Dementia as Parkinson’s symptom refers to a person’s deficiency and impairment in terms of memory and mental clarity. Oftentimes, medication for Alzheimer’s are administered to address this disorder.
Dystonia: Patients with parkinson’s disease suffer from this symptom when there is an uncontrollable movement of the muscles such as twisting. Early signs of Parkinson’s symptoms show a deterioration in handwriting.
Parkinson’s symptoms also include deep sleep problems and depression. We call these nonmotor. Among these symptoms include pain, constipation, skin problems, fear or anxiety and loss of energy. There are many ways wherein a patient will be able to cope with these symptoms.
Different folks, different strokes. Parkinson’s symptoms vary per individual. While not all symptoms may manifest during the early stage of the disease, these typically start on one side of the body. Those symptoms may even stay unnoticed for months or even years.