Extreme Stiffness

[clajac]

My husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's 4 years ago and is current taking 3 doses of Sinement during the day and an extended release overnight. He has no tremors, but extreme stiffness, day and night. He exercises approx. 20-30 minutes 3x/week which I don't think is enough. Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

[johntPM]

You don't mention the size of the dose or whether it has an effect.

Taking a small dose of Sinemet may not be enough to get you to the "on" threshold. Taking a slightly larger dose may take you just beyond the "on" threshold where the stiffness disappears for a short period of time. Taking a larger dose still will lead to a longer "on" period before the levodopa is used up, taking you back to "off". Taking an even larger dose may over the longer term cause dyskinesia. It is important to get the level just right.

Exercise is important, but my experience has been that this doesn't substitute for medication. Exercise makes you better able to overcome the symptoms of PD. It

may also slow down the progression of the disease.

John

[clajac in reply to johntPM]

Thank you!

[JohnPepper]

What do you mean by 'Rigidity' and 'Stiffness'? If they both mean that his arms and legs don't move the way he wants them to, it probably means that his limbs are not reacting to what his brain is telling them to do. Read my profile and contact me on reverseparkinsons.net

I can help him to use his conscious brain to control his movements at no charge.

[clajac in reply to JohnPepper]

Thank you for your reply. We have your book, have not finished it yet. One additional issue that my husband has is severe arthritis in his feet (his left foot is bone-on-bone) so it is difficult for him to walk. He does use the stationery bike a few times a week and lifts weights. Do you still think you could help him?

[JohnPepper in reply to clajac]

I have arthritis in my right foot but it is not so painful that I cannot stand on it. I find that after i have walked for ten minutes or so the pain disappears. I have had this for over 20 years and it has not got any worse.

If your husband does stationary bike as hard as he can and sustains it for up to an hour he could possibly reverse his Pd. Don't try to do too much too quickly. Do it every second day, so that the muscles have time to recover. Try to do 20 minutes to begin with and after every second week add an additional 5 minutes until he reaches one hour. Stay at one hour and try to continually go faster.

Look at my profile and contact me on reverseparkinsons.net. It costs nothing and you can speak to me direct.

[clajac in reply to JohnPepper]

Thank you. I shared this with my husband and he has agreed to try this out. I just hope he sticks with it - that's always a problem. Appreciate your advice. Have a great day!

[2donkeys]

Check out this great site - it's very informative. outthinkingparkinsons.com/

Dr. Gary Sharpe has a series of video blogs and one on how he's improved his stiffness and rigidity. Hope it helps you.

[clajac in reply to 2donkeys]

I will check it out. Thanks!