Contact: Houston Chiropractic Rehabilitation
Email▷fnchiropractic@gmail.com
TEL▷713-772-4607 FAX▷713-772-6015
Address▷8510 Hillcroft Houston, TX 77096 U.S.A.
TOP Page -> Parkinson's disease
What are the early warning signs of Parkinson’s Disease?
How do you know if you, or a loved one, has it?
While you may be familiar with the most commonly associated symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, such as stiffness and hand tremors, do you know that there are other common, early warning signs?
Everything from your handwriting to your sense of smell can indicate the onset of Parkinson’s Disease. You may display only a couple of these signs or even all of them.
Has the way you write changed suddenly?
As we age, handwriting gradually changes and it is normal. However, if you notice an abrupt change in the size of your letters or words, it could indicate brain's dysfunction.
Parkinson’s disease affects fine motor skills. If you find that your writing is so small that even you have trouble reading it, it may be an early sign. Sometimes, writing may start off normal but start to get smaller and smaller as words progress, with words closely clumped together.
Ling, H., Massey, L. A., Lees, A. J., Brown, P., & Day, B. L. (2012). Hypokinesia without decrement distinguishes progressive supranuclear palsy from Parkinson’s disease. Brain, 135(4), 1141–1153. http://doi.org/10.1093/brain/aws038
Have you noticed stiffness anywhere in your body, especially in your arms or legs? Stiffness associated with Parkinson's is not the kind that leaves once you get out of bed in the morning and it sticks around all day. This stiffness may occur when you walk. You may notice that your arms don’t swinging like they once did. Your way of walking may have changed also. Instead of walking with a wide gait, you take small steps, hardly lifting your feet as you walk. Parkinson’s Disease can affect your muscle control so you may have trouble physically motivating yourself to walk, and then stop. Along with feeling stiff, you may also feel slow. You’re moving slower than you were before.
One of the most known signs of Parkinson’s disease is shaking. If you’ve noticed a shaking or twitching in your hands or legs, it could be one of the early warning signs of Parkinson’s. But tremors aren’t limited to hands and legs. Shaking can start in your fingers, chin, tongue, or even your lips. These tremors often occur at rest, and will usually go away once you move.
Do you sound like you’re whispering even if you’re attempting to speak normally? You may notice that your voice sounds very monotone, without inflection. Maybe your voice sounds hoarse or hushed.
The volume of your voice is one sign of Parkinson’s disease.
If you’ve hunched over or bent forward, when you’re trying to stand upright, it may be a sign of Parkinson's disease, because your ability to coordinate and balance is affected. It also attacks your own perceptions. You may feel like you’re standing upright, but you’re actually slumped forward. If you attempt to stand up straight, it may feel like you’ll fall backwards.
Loss of smell may be a sign as well. In fact, this may be the earliest warning sign of Parkinson’s disease because it can occur years before other symptoms.
Do you have less than three bowel movements a week, you may have constipation, and it may be due to Parkinson’s disease.
Have you noticed a change in your sleeping patterns? Do you kick, toss, or turn in your sleep? Have you experienced particularly vivid dreams?
Uncontrollable movements during sleep is one of the most difficult parts of Parkinson’s disease. It’s not infrequent bad nights, but frequent occurrences.
Have you been told that you look sad or angry, even when you feel happy or interested? You may be exhibiting “masking face.” This is a common symptom of Parkinson’s disease where the muscles in your face become stiff or “frozen”.
While dizziness could be related to other disorders, dizziness and/ or fainting is often an early warning symptom of Parkinson’s disease. In those with Parkinson's disease, lightheadedness often occurs when you move positions.
If you observe these early warning signs of Parkinson’s disease in yourself, the first thing to do is set an appointment with your doctor. Getting diagnosed early will help you establish an action plan so that your won’t be just suffering from progression of this disease. There are new, exciting rehabilitation and preventative actions you can take, in order to improve your quality of life and preserve your functions.
Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 6:00AM~4:00PM / Friday 8:00AM~12:00PM (Appointment only)
After hours and weekend appointment are also available upon request.
Email: fnchiropractic@gmail.com TEL:713-772-4607 FAX:713-772-6015
Free consultation is also available.
In order to perform comprehensive examination and rehabilitation, initial visit usually takes approximately 2-3 hours. Follow-up visits vary greatly based on your goal and rehabilitation plan. We will build an individualized rehabilitation plan based on your needs and goals.
Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 6:00AM~4:00PM / Friday 8:00AM~12:00PM
Dr.Ikeda will take time for each patient to perform comprehensive examination and offer rehabilitation plan. Therefore, an appointment in advance is needed. However, in the case of acute low back pain or whiplash injury, Dr. Ikeda may be able to accomodate such cases. After hours and weekend appointment are also available uopon reuqest. Please contact Dr. Ikeda directly (fnchiropractic@gmail.com) for scheduling.
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Disclaimer: All information contained within this website (functionalprocare.com) is for imformational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any health problem- nor is it intended to replace the advice of a qualified medical practitioner. At Houston Chiropractic Neurology, the doctors hold Doctor of Chiropractic degree and liscened chiropractors by Texas Chiropractic Board Examiners.