Parkinson’s disease is a disorder associated with the nervous system that impacts the movements of an individual and is progressive in nature. The symptoms start out gradually in the initial stages, but with time the tremors that were barely noticeable turn into a constant phenomenon, along with other symptoms such as stiffness and slowness in movement.
In the initial stages of Parkinson’s disease, there are chances that there will only be little or no expression on your face, you will have little or no swing in the arms when you walk, and face changes in speech to the extent where words become soft or slurred. The symptoms only worsen over time since Parkinson’s is a degenerative disease. While there is still no absolute cure for Parkinson’s disease, there are levels of medication that can help you manage symptoms effectively. In some cases, the doctors may also suggest that the patient opts for surgery in case there is a need to regulate any region within the brain that is affected or one needs to regain some control over the symptoms.
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease:
There is no standard template for the signs and symptoms that one might experience as part of Parkinson’s disease. There are chances that the early signs are very mild to practically unnoticeable. The symptoms of this particular disease tend to often begin on just one side of the body and worsen on that side before even beginning to affect the rest of the body.
Some of the most common signs and symptoms include the following:
- Tremors: This is one of the most common signs of Parkinson’s disease, and usually begins in the hand or fingers and moves on to other limbs. There are some cases wherein a patient might exhibit pill-rolling tremors which reflect in the form of the individual rubbing back and forth their thumb and forefinger.
- Bradykinesia: With the passing of time, an individual diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease will face issues such as slow movements, leading to difficulty in performing simple tasks like walking. It affects a person’s routine life and leads to taking more time in doing even the smallest of activities such as getting out of a chair or combing their hair.
- Rigidity in the muscles: The body undergoes a lot of duress with Parkinson’s disease, and muscle stiffness adds to limited body movements and pain.
- Impaired balance and posture: One of the most common issues evident with this disease is that the body tends to stoop and have an improper balance due to its effect on the nervous system.
- Loss of automatic movements: Movements such as smiling, blinking, and even swinging of the arms are usually done unconsciously, but with this disease, one faces the decreased ability to perform them.
- Changes in speech and writing: A person with Parkinson’s disease has a problem with speaking in a regular manner and even writing becomes a chore due to the disease’s adverse effects on speech and motor skills.
