What is Parkinson's disease gait?

Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
Updated on September 27, 2024
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Patients with Parkinson's disease have a distinctive gait; typically, their torso leans forward, and their arms do not move much. When they walk, they exhibit a hurried gait with short, scurrying steps. That is, they take small steps that progressively get faster and faster, making stopping very difficult when they reach their destination. This is a typical scenario often referred to as a "scampering gait." Many experienced doctors can frame a preliminary diagnosis of Parkinson's disease just by observing the patient’s walk. Parkinson's disease also leads to unstable posture and gait, increasing the risk of falls and fractures. Therefore, it's important to take precautions at home by installing handrails to assist the patient in standing and walking, preventing accidental injuries.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Can Parkinson's disease be cured?

Parkinson's disease is a movement disorder, and there are many medications and treatments that can improve the quality of life for patients and alleviate their clinical symptoms. However, from the current medical perspective, it is impossible to achieve a complete cure. Therefore, patients with Parkinson's disease must not be deceived and should seek treatment at accredited hospitals. Currently, treatment for this disease primarily involves pharmacotherapy. There are various medications available, commonly including dopamine receptor agonists, Levodopa-based drugs, as well as some amantadine and anticholinergic drugs. Each drug has its own characteristics and should be chosen based on the patient's condition. Additionally, some patients in the middle or later stages may also undergo deep brain stimulation surgery to improve symptoms. (Please use medication under the guidance of a professional physician and do not medicate blindly.)

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Causes of Parkinson's Disease

The cause of Parkinson's disease is mainly due to a part of the brain called the brainstem, which has some black moles and clusters containing a large number of neurons that can produce dopamine. The death of these neurons in the substantia nigra of the midbrain, caused by various factors, leads to Parkinson's disease. This results in noticeable slowness of movement in the limbs, muscle rigidity, as well as tremors, and unstable walking and other clinical manifestations. The causes of the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra include genetic factors. Additionally, age is the biggest cause of the disease. Furthermore, dysfunctions in mitochondrial function, ischemia and hypoxia in the midbrain, certain traumas, and the use of drugs that deplete dopamine can all potentially cause Parkinson's disease.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease is a relatively common neurological disorder and a degenerative disease of the nervous system, as well as an extrapyramidal disorder. The symptoms of Parkinson's disease primarily include the following: The first major category is motor symptoms. The motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease mainly include bradykinesia, where the patient is generally slow in all actions, such as slow walking, slow dressing, slow turning, etc. There are also symptoms of increased muscle tone and stiffness in the muscles, along with resting tremor of the limbs, unstable posture, and a tendency to fall. The second major category of symptoms is non-motor symptoms, which are also very important in Parkinson's disease. For instance, patients may experience significant sleep disturbances, a reduction in the sense of smell, dizziness, constipation, frequent urination, and other clinical manifestations.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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What department to see for Parkinson's disease?

Parkinson's disease is a very common degenerative neurological disorder in neurology, so if you go for treatment, you should definitely see a neurologist. Many neurologists have a high level of expertise in Parkinson's disease and have extensive experience in its diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment. Patients with Parkinson's disease generally exhibit significant motor slowness, such as dressing, buttoning, wrapping dumplings, and eating very slowly, and they also walk very slowly. In addition, they may also display obvious resting tremors, muscle rigidity, general fatigue, unstable walking posture, and other clinical manifestations. Moreover, they might experience some constipation, anxiety, depression, and reduced sense of smell among other related clinical symptoms. Therefore, for this disease, visiting a neurologist is sufficient, and you can definitely expect a very satisfactory diagnosis and treatment.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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What are the symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

The main symptoms of Parkinson's disease are divided into two major categories: motor symptoms and non-motor symptoms. The motor symptoms include bradykinesia and hypokinesia, specifically characterized by slow movement speed and reduced amplitude. In daily life, this results in clumsiness with actions such as difficulty standing up, small arm swings while walking, or even no swinging at all, a lack of facial expressions, and progressively smaller handwriting. The second type is resting tremor, which includes pill-rolling movements along with muscle rigidity and postural and gait imbalances, such as a panicked gait or taking very small steps that accelerate and become faster without the ability to stop or turn promptly. Non-motor symptoms include issues such as olfactory dysfunction, sleep disturbances, constipation, and depression.