Weak knees and collapse: Has anyone had... - Cure Parkinson's

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Weak knees and collapse

Trenny profile image
11 Replies

Has anyone had their knees collapse and found a 'cure' or do I have to learn to live with it? I have had two collapses, six months apart, but it does destroy one's confidence. I was diagnosed with PD in December, but probably had it for at least two years before that. I am on eight sinemet (low dose) daily in divided doses. I am 84.

I have now bought a 'walker', which gives me a bit more confidence.

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Trenny profile image
Trenny
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11 Replies
BillDavid profile image
BillDavid

Had knee problems both from injury and PD. I am 73 diagnosed with PD for ten years. Have had knees collapse......in my teenage years to physical injury. Last fall this injury associated with PD posture issues resulted in more problems. . Recommend that you have your use of a walker assessed by Physical Therapist recommend for PD patients. First have assessed how your use of walker may be resulting in posture issues. Usually PD Patients are taught to focus use with maintaining Posture as possible. Also have PT assess if strengthening extensor muscles in leg and stretching flexor muscles might help? Good luck.

BillDavid

minnietip profile image
minnietip

How is your potassium level

cabbagecottage profile image
cabbagecottage

unfortunately yes . my husband first had quite a struggle walking , that is how he described it . we would walk to get her and sing 'The grand old duke of York ' it helped the momentum .

the he knees would crumble beneath him . a stubborn or, should I say stoic man he wouldn't give in . until one day we were coming back for the GP and it took us ages . Stopping to sit on walls as we went along . I asked him to stay while I got help but no he would , Until it got that bad I called for help . a postman ran to help and another man saw and came to . Ended up with them having to Carr,y him home and put him into a chair .

he kept blaming painful knees even had a kneecap replacement . a complete waste of time and money we went orivately

he is now 81 and has never found meds of any use other than causing worse soupy pitons and often hallucination .

Don't go anywhere without your walker maybe one with a seat attached would b more helpful if u got stuck .

sorry I can't be more positive

Trenny profile image
Trenny in reply tocabbagecottage

Yes, I have one with a serat.

Trenny profile image
Trenny in reply toTrenny

I mean a seat.

trekster22 profile image
trekster22

My gran uses a walker as she fell over 3 times in 18 months. Do you use a zimmer walker as they're better than a 3 wheeler 1.

i have a different disability and use a wheelchair because my joints dislocate, we're unsure if gran has this problem as well.

JohnPepper profile image
JohnPepper

Hi Trenny. You are 4 years older than me, but age is just a number. I do a lot of exercise, including fast walking for up to 8 kilometres, three times a week. That took me two years before I slowly built up from the 2 kilometres I was only able to do to begin with.

If you are determined to help yourself overcome this problem you are having, you should start walking, as fast as YOU CAN, for as FAR AS YOU CAN three times a week. Do NOT WALK FAST EVERY DAY! You must have 1 day's rest in between exercises.

When your muscles build up, the weakness problem will disappear. I have had to stop the fast walking twice over the past two years, because of injuries, which were caused by doing TOO MUCH! The last injury I had stopped me from walking for nearly 6 months, so I had to go back to walking only 2 kilometres again, for two weeks before adding another half a kilometre on every 2nd week. In this way I am now back to 5 kilometres and will be back to 8 kilometres within the next 12 weeks. My age does not stop me from doing this, only my lack of determination can do that.

Good luck!

John

Trenny profile image
Trenny in reply toJohnPepper

Yes, John, I have tried your fast-walking suggestion, but can manage only fifty yards or so. We took my granny walker to a local arboretum on Saturday and had a lovely walk around, but I over-did it and all but collapsed again during the last five minutes.

I have begun to wonder if I have muscular dystrophy or one of the other muscular diseases. Doing some research on the internet brought up a number of possibilities which are feeding my anxiety neurosis! I am reluctant to accept that it is "just old age".

cabbagecottage profile image
cabbagecottage in reply toTrenny

I think a lot of people put things down to old age . . there was no man more determined than My John . he nearly saw me off being determined . he pushed himself to the limit .

he wouldn't have deliberately hurt or damage me but it did as he walked I would see him so crumble and try to hold him up .

we have a friend who I saw going through the same thing , he couldn't understand what was happening to him a fit rugby player .

but bit by bit I watched as his legs became unstable . he was first diagnosed with MD but they now not sure if it's muscular dystrophy

. He now uses crutches or a wheelchair it is happening so quickly .

it's all you seem to hear these days . What on earth is happening

Trenny profile image
Trenny

Thanks for your replies, cabbagecottage. I'll suggest MD to the doctor when I see her and perhaps it might alert her to possibilities apart from Parkies or old age. She probably thinks of me as a hypochondriac, but is very nice about it. I feel that I want to explore all possibilities before I get into a routine of six-monthly hospital visits.

What you described about John's walking earlier is exactly how I feel.

cabbagecottage profile image
cabbagecottage in reply toTrenny

It's not easy to write about how sineine Else feels us it , its thr ur body not ours . But we are in charge of it

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