Symptoms
The symptoms of Parkinson's disease can be very different in terms of severity.
At the beginning of the illness, psychological changes often occur first. The patient often appears depressed (see Depression) and is very quickly physically tired.
In addition, there may be various complaints and pains in the back and neck.
In the course of the early phase of the disease, the typeface also shrinks. The writing becomes more illegible overall.
The patient's speaking volume also gradually decreases.
The typical main symptoms, on the basis of which the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease can ultimately be confirmed, is made up of "rigor", "tremor" and "akinesia"
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- Muscle stiffness (rigidity)
This leads to permanent increased muscle tension and the associated stiffness. The arms and legs can often only be stretched or bent in jerky, jerky movements. This is known as the so-called gear phenomenon.
Patients also often complain of a feeling of "numbness" in the affected parts of the body.
Usually the stiffness occurs on the side. This means that one half of the body is often more affected than the other.
This stiffening of the muscles means that in many patients you can see slightly bent arms and legs. The upper body and head are also often bent forward. - Tremor (tremor)
The tremor occurs very early in most Parkinson's patients (in the disease). Here hands and feet move rhythmically back and forth.
However, this symptom often disappears in later stages of the disease.
In most cases, one speaks of "trembling at rest" (tremor at rest). This means that the tremor occurs especially during periods of relaxation and rest. However, if the patient makes a directed movement (e.g. grasping), there is often a significant improvement. The tremor can also manifest itself as muscle twitching of the thumb.
Strong emotions such as anger or joy, in turn, can worsen the symptoms. In contrast, patients usually do not tremble at all during sleep.
Read more on the subject at: Hands are shaking - Akinesia (sedentary lifestyle)
This leads to a significant slowdown in voluntary movements. Affected people suffer particularly when performing actions that require a certain skill (e.g. when putting on a shirt or doing handicrafts).
Most patients have difficulty "starting" a movement. For example, when you want to start walking, your feet appear "stuck in". In the medical field this is called the "Freezing phenomenon'.
In addition, unconscious movements are also affected by akinesia. E.g. facial expressions are much more rigid than before, as patients can no longer show their emotions so much via their facial expression or facial muscles (in connection with increased sebum production one also speaks of a "Ointment face“), And your arms no longer swing when you walk. It is also often very difficult for patients to turn around.
Read more on the subject at: Shaking hands
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