Tremor: In the early stages of the disease, about 70% of people experience a slight tremor in the hand or foot on one side of the body, or less commonly in the jaw or face. It appears as a 'beating' or oscillating movement and is regular (4-6 beats per second). Because tremor usually appears when the muscles are relaxed, it is called "resting tremor." This means that the affected body part trembles when it is at rest and not doing work and often subsides with action. The tremor often spreads to the other side of the body as the disease progresses, but remains most apparent on the original side of occurrence.
Rigidity: Rigidity or increased muscle tone means stiffness or inflexibility of the muscles. Normally muscles contract when they move, and then relax when they are at rest. In rigidity, the muscle tone of an affected limb is stiff. Rigidity can result in a decreased range of motion. For example a patient may not swing his or her arms when walking. Rigidity can also cause pain and cramps at the muscle site.
Bradykinesia: Bradykinesia is a slowing of voluntary movement. In addition to slow movements, a person with bradykinesia will likely also have incompleteness of movement, difficulty in initiating movements, and arrests of ongoing movement. Patients may begin to walk with short, shuffling steps (festination), which, combined with other symptoms such as loss of balance, increases the incidence of falls. They may also experience difficulty making turns or abrupt movements. They may go through periods of "freezing," which is when the patient is stuck and finds it difficult to stop or start walking. Bradykinesia and rigidity can occur in the facial muscles, causing a "mask-like" expression with little or no movement of the face. The slowness and incompleteness of movement can also affect speaking and swallowing.
There are many secondary symptoms of Parkinson's disease. These include stooped posture, a tendency to lean forward or backward, and speech problems, such as softness of voice or slurred speech caused by lack of muscle control. Non-motor symptoms also impact the life of a person with Parkinson's. A survey published in October 2003, "The Impact of Parkinson's Disease on Quality of Life" revealed that two of the top three most disabling symptoms for people with Parkinson's are non-motor symptoms, including loss of energy and pain. To review the results of this survey go to: http://www.amarinpharma.com/.
The following is a list of secondary symptoms of Parkinson's disease:
- Speech changes
- Loss of facial expression
- Micrographia (small, cramped handwriting)
- Difficulty swallowing
- Drooling
- Pain
- Dementia or confusion
- Sleep disturbances
- Constipation
- Skin problems
- Depression
- Fear or anxiety
- Memory difficulties and slowed thinking
- Sexual dysfunction
- Urinary problems
- Fatigue and aching
- Loss of energy
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