I was diagnoised with PD at age 40. past... - Cure Parkinson's
I was diagnoised with PD at age 40. past 2 months I have been experiencing freezing. My feet sticks to the floor . any help from anyone ?
Hi Alleymay. Yes! The problem is that your subconscious brain finds difficulty in communicating with your body. You don't actually consciously tell your muscles to walk, you tell your subconscious brain that you want to walk and it does it for you. With Pd, this does not always work. When there is a shortage of dopamine in the brain, the messages don't always get to the target. We have to learn how to consciously move our legs. You will find, when this freezing happens, that you are able to lift one leg up, off the ground and move to forward, to plant it down again on the ground in front of you. There is a huge difference between willing yourself to move and actually telling your leg muscles to move. I teach people, free of charge, when they freeze, to take over the control of their legs from the subconscious brain and think of lifting that leg up and planting it on the ground in front of them, while moving the body forward at the same time. Just think of the HEEL! I hope I have explained this properly to you. The problem is in the brain, not in the body. Remember that and deal with it accordingly.
John
I was interested to learn from two of my on PWP friends who like me are around the 70 year age that they both consciously lift their feet up, one following the example of her mother, to avoid falls. The three of us were doing a passable imitation of John Clees silly walks last week-end in a Cotswold village crowded with tourists and no one seemed to notice. I have another friend who is now late forties whose mother was told that due to cerebral palsy that she would never walk - the conscious brain can achieve much thank goodness.
Hi paddyfields. If we all could believe that many of our symptoms can be overcome, when we ;learn how to consciously control our movements, then results like falling and loss of confidence would become a thing of the past. It is a problem getting people to believe this. If only we could persuade doctors to tell their patients that this is not only possible. it is fact, then we will be doing the Parkinson's world a big service.
John
There is so much to support the power of the mind over the physical: conductive education, hypnosis, self-hypnosis, the placebo effect allowed for in scientific trials - all accepted already. Of course, we don't want to seem to be blaming people who die with, for example, cancer for not being positive enough. However, neuro plasticity is increasingly accepted to exist in the adult brain and not just in children's. I suspect that I have always been comparatively low in dopamine because I have always been "slow to get going" to qtaken longer to "move new learning to the margin of my attention" which was one theory of learning that caught my imagination when doing teacher training. I rarely finished an exam paper in school because of slow handwriting and yet I have learned to write, touch-type and do shorthand at a faster than average speed. - I just always have to work harder at things. Unless one has a particularly fast progressing version of PD I believe that you don't have to work that hard to counteract its insidious effect on at least the motor side of things as long as you do it regularly.
I didn't hit the reply button but it posted and it wont' let me edit but where it says "slow to get going" is a quote from my PE teacher
Hi paddyfields. Have you read Dr Beth Fisher's paper on Energetic Walking and its affect on Pd? It was read by her at the 1st World Parkinson's Congress held in Washington DC in 2006. She gave the physical results of a number of patients who took part in several trials, with placebo control groups. My book has a report on her talk, together with many other articles on exercise. You have to commit yourself to doing regular energetic exercise, as the best way to overcome Pd.
John
Thanks for the interesting info, next time I freeze I will try that, which will be in a little while
Hi Alley, just lick John advaces to stop the progress for PWP do a lot of walking
I know that this might sound daft, but listening to music (try headphones?) or something with an obvious beat (like a metronome in your pocket) often helps.
Hi Lisl. There is nothing daft about recognizing that music and rhythm can overcome movement problems. The reason being that the conscious brain takes over from the subconscious and movement becomes easy to control. There are hundreds of stories of Pwp's suddenly dancing, without any problems, when they are not able to walk because of freezing and falling. There is nothing daft about that. You see what happens when you get up and take your partner's hand and start to dance to your favorite music. It isn't MAGIC it is the conscious brain doing its job properly.
John
Hi Alleymay I was diagnosed with Parkinson's about 5 years ago. My main problem is feet freezing and speech. I use a laser cane for the freezing problem. This works up to a point. But I still fall occasionally. I am not on any medication as the side effects are worse than the symptoms.
What side effects have you had Ken and how did your neurologist try to help you?
I was very depressed and suffered constipation. My neurologist gave me another diagnosis of PSP ( progressive supra nuclear palsy) which is where I am at the moment
Hi Ken, you mean your not on any meds not even sinemet. I take sinemet which sometimes causes dyskenisa but I take amantadine to control this. If I didn't take meds I wouldn't move at all.
What John and Lisl say is all good. You could also try Vitamin K. My husband started freezing a few years ago after having PD for 10 years or so. I started giving him one 75 mcg tablet of Vitamin K2 daily and it stopped him freezing. He has had various mobility issues since, including quite a long hospitalisation earlier this year, but now I have got him home and back on the Vitamin K (along with all the other supplements I give him) I am starting to get him mobile once again. You can get 60 tablets for £14.45 from Healthspan.
Janet,
That is very interesting! I am a nutritionist and my husband with PD is already taking K2 with his Vitamin D3 to help direct calcium into the bones and teeth and not soft tissue like arteries and joints. He only experienced freezing once in the 10+ years he has had PD. I gave him Mg Phos (tissue cell salt) and it went away. I am curious if calcium doesn't play a role here. Anyone know of a connection?
Theories include K2 makes the mitochondria more efficient. see vib.be/en/news/Pages/Vitami... for more info.
there is a connection with my mom. she just had a parathyroid tumor removed (causing hypercalcemia) and the surgeon estimated the tumor was as old as my mom's PD diagnosis. we have started K2 for the purpose of directing Ca back into bones/teeth and out of soft tissues. i have noticed remarkable improvements so far related to cognitive function (confusion is gone). i also discovered a nightshade allergy (potatoes) which was triggering additional confusion/hypercalcemia as well as more gait freezing. K2 addressed that immediately and we are seeing better movement over time (has only been two weeks). we are careful to supplement with A, D3, K2 and magnesium in addition to Ca to rebuild her bones after years of hypercalcemia. using both M4 and M7 to be safe.
do you use M4 or M7? what is your dosage? thanks so much.
Vitamin K2 75mcg
Contains 75mcg (100% RDA)
Made with highest quality vitamin K2
Contributes to the maintenance of bones and blood coagulation
One tablet daily
We buy it from Healthspan. Sorry, I don't know what you mean by M4 or M7.
Hi Superjanet, I am going to try vitamin k. I am in my 17th year with pd and it's not until 2 months ago I started freezing. let you know how it turns out.
Good idea to take vitamins K2 for stiffness I will take it my self how offten we should take?
what version of K2 did you use -- M4, M7 or something else? thanks.
I have had this problem for about 5 years sometimes it is impossible to move and I can only inch forward usually happens when I cross roads or other times in busy situations like airports .
the strange thing is as soon as I come to a step or stairs the freezing stops. does his happen to you? I do not take any drugs for my condition as none seem to have any effect.
Hi Steph. The reason why you are able to move, when you come to steps, is that you consciously climb up and down steps. Your conscious brain has no problems at all with controlling your movements. It is only when you use your subconscious brain to control your movements that the problem of freezing arises. You learned how to walk when you were very young and once you had conquered this, your subconscious brain took it over and you have never had to think about how you do it, ever since. Now that does not work! Get used to it. Now you have to consciously think about moving your feet and getting around. TOUGH! Get used to it! Don't sit there and wish that it will go away! It won't! Sorry to tell you this. No pills in this world can overcome that problem. Only you can develop the habit of thinking about how you are walking and continue to do so.
John
parkinsons.org.uk/content/f...
This is a very helpful sheet from Parkinson's UK with many idea to try out. Also it would be essential to get an occupational therapist and physiotherapists involved to get them to go through the strategies and try out such things as the laser cane.
Freezing is serious because it can lead to falls. Nobody wants to end up in hospital with a broken bone because of freezing. Give these strategies a go and get help.
I learn techniques for how to pick up the feet and move when freezing in my PD classes -- teacher Pamela Quinn is a dancer with PD.. Try You Tube for her films. No Shuffling!! Heel, Toe, Heel Toe!
Wow! None of the mind/body tricking has seemed to work for my husband...maybe I should get him the K2 and try it. He tends to just stay in his motorized wheelchair to avoid the constant falls...and we all know how unhealthy that is!
Do you yourself find it easier to cope when your husband is in his wheelchair? How on earth do you cope with him falling constantly. My husband falls about 50 times a day and some days I find this very difficult to cope with.All I hear is bang bang bang on the floor. I would really like to know how others cope with this.
I freeze all the time. Especially while turning. I circumvent this problem by taking a Madopar This is one of several Dopamine replacement drugs available. It does not contain Dopamine but a pre-cursor to Dopamine, i.e. Levodopa The brain functioning normally uses Levodopa in the manufacture of Dopamine. Do you take any medication already?
Hi Steph. I believe that calcium is another neurotransmitter, like dopamine. I cannot tell you any more about this, but you can look it up on Google. Perhaps calcium does things for some of our symptoms, of which we are not aware.
John
HI I found that Vitamin B Complex with folic acid and B6 has really helped me allot also, I have an over abundance of Iron in my system so I stay away of veggies with iron and food with iron. Then for my arm cramps I use 100 % Lavendar oil and the cramps stop.
I have felt when walking over one type of surface to another gives me the sensation of slipping on ice... I have purchased John' s book and have started a research trial based on walking/ music...John's book has been informative and helpful. I do feel better when I walk compared to when I don't make an effort to get out...it's very easy for me to make excuses and let my sadness/depression take over. 20 minutes each day and guaranteed you will start to feel part of the human race again.. Good luck everyone
hi alleymay
i hav ePSP IIKE PARAKINSONS only differen parts of t he brain affected
)sees my info about me on the Psp websie of HU to find out how it has affected me
\ll jill
Try moving sideways, crossing over each foot. The medication Amantadine works fairly well.
Don't use a cane or a roller cart for walking, anything that interrupts your brains thought process makes it harder to walk. Just think Heel - Toe--Heel --Toe, repeat this to yourself. Walk slow but pick your feet up. I was tempted to shuffle that make more problem with rugs and tripping.( in public) I would walk the hallway at my farm house back and forth 3 x a day. For practice, this seemed to help my brain know what I needed to do when walking. Your feet are really not stuck it is your brain not telling you to pick them up. Also stay off your tip toes, which I constantly did it felt more safe but just made me fall more easily due to balance. Good luck, all this seems easy to suggest but a hard reality to do.
Hi Kadie. If you go onto my website - reverseparkinsons.net you will see a lot of info on walking, exercise, freezing and using the conscious brain to control movement. Good luck!
John
My neurologist has recommended an injectable for freezing. It contains morphin.
Hi Coblrman. That does not sound like good advice to me. Any form of medication is the LAST RESORT approach to Pd. Exercise is the first way to deal with Pd. Look at my website - reverseparkinsons.net for full information on Pd. Did you know that Pd patients have no problem dancing? Another way of dealing with Pd is to go in for BOXING. Not fighting, but doing the training exercises. There is an awful lot to learn about exercise and Pd, before you become hooked on medication, and suffer the side effects of that medication.
John
Thanks I agree with you that's why I haven't gotten the prescription from the doctor. I appreciate your experience and sharing with the rest of us.
Hi Coblrman. Good for you. Keep positive and know that you are the only one who can help YOU to get better.
John
Hi,
Freezing is very common.
What some people have said is true.
When you freeze :- do not force it. Try going backwards, as do not try to move forward but step back.
Rhythm/metronome is very good.
Relax and breath slowly try and relax and then say left/right left/right left/right or tic/toc tic/toc.
Try to move forward, if not step back and try to restep.
Lean on some-one or something, if you can sit down, and restart.
Falls occur usually when som-one wants to turn.
Speak to your physio about techniques.
Because you seem to have freezing, dancing/chair based exercises or regular normal exercises will help.
Do stretches , especially for the leg muscles.
Balance exercises will help.
Medications including Levodopa replace the missing Dopamine allow movement that is tantamount to normal. Such drugs are Sinemet, Madopar and Stalevo + their generic forms.
I found a big enogh dose of Levodopa in Sinemet or Madopar keeps the frezzing problem at bay. Th off-periods are disappointingly longer than the on periods. First I have to wiait an hour affter taking a dose for any effect is noticed. then I get a good hour of being on where am pretty much back to normal. The next 2 hours are a decline back to being frozzen regularly where I have to hold onto things to prevent faling.
Then I can take another dose but have to wait an hour for it to get going etc.
I don't have the feet sticking problem, but when my right leg drags I find it really useful to pretend that I'm walking on a treadmill.
That changes the way I walk, so that I seem to concentrate on the foot that's on the ground, until it's the other one's turn to take over. It's hard to explain, but I think it makes me transfer my weight more firmly, and walk in a much more controlled, purposeful way.
I think it's similar to what John says about consciously instructing your muscles; when you're on a treadmill (or at least pretending to be on one), it's like something is directing your muscles to work in a certain way that bypasses the subconscious.
Well whadda know, John Pepper after buying your book Reversing parkinsons which was a really good book I saw this Dr. Norman Doidge. M.D. on Canada AM and he was very interesting, so I went out and bought his book and as I was reading it there was a lot of info about John Pepper what a coincidence!
A lot of good reading there, I'm not finished yet. No doubt about it we PD patients have to exercise our brains.
I find swimming is really good for me. 2 months ago I was shuting down a lot, was taking 8 sinemet a day have a new drug Azelict just 0.5 mg once a day and I dropped 4 sinemet to balance out everything. I feel like I just got my life back again. Hope it continues to stay that way for awhile.
When I freeze, I think of a beat to a song and sing it and I move my feet to the beat, it works for me.
Some people look for a line or a crack on the floor and try to step over it. It may help. I hope this helps
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