Diagnosed about 3 years ago, my walking has deteriorated and there is no swing in my right arm.
I recently i discovered that i could dance and jog with no difficulty whatsoever.
in particular we were learning the hustle.......anyone remember it?
All the dragging of my leg had gone and to an onlooker there were no symptoms.
Has anyone else experienced this and does anyone know if any research has been carried out to explain this fascinating observation.
Annelouise
Hi - I had that experience too. Some people on this forum will be able to offer you a much more technical answer but it's something to do with song and associated movement coming from a different part of the brain than walking...or something. I found if I sang a song in my head and walked with a slight 'boogie' I could get along much easier, when walking was becoming very difficult. Also running/jogging easy - s'thing to do with it being a more automatic thing, faster...I'm afraid I forget the technical stuff but can completely relate to what you're saying.
Strange condition.....!
Strange condition.....!
time for enough technical stuff to choke a donkey
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15275928
the key point is:
Automated locomotion, for example, running, is based on spinal generators whose pace is driven by the cerebellar locomotor region.
During slow walking, spatial navigation, mediated by the parahippocampal cortex, becomes more important. Postural control during standing involves a low intensity cerebellar activity and sensorimotor control via the thalamus and basal ganglia.
to some extent you dont run with your brain but with your spine! spatial navigation ie freezing is particularly affacted by pd. i think i can safely say no-one has ever 'froze' while running, cycling or dancing. in some ways the problem with walking is that we have time to think about it and the region that does the thinking is the basal ganglia etc.
hee-haw
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15275928
the key point is:
Automated locomotion, for example, running, is based on spinal generators whose pace is driven by the cerebellar locomotor region.
During slow walking, spatial navigation, mediated by the parahippocampal cortex, becomes more important. Postural control during standing involves a low intensity cerebellar activity and sensorimotor control via the thalamus and basal ganglia.
to some extent you dont run with your brain but with your spine! spatial navigation ie freezing is particularly affacted by pd. i think i can safely say no-one has ever 'froze' while running, cycling or dancing. in some ways the problem with walking is that we have time to think about it and the region that does the thinking is the basal ganglia etc.
hee-haw
Poetry in motion, turnip, poetry in motion!
I find that I can walk backwards more easily than forwards. Also, I have discovered that if I am unable to walk when enduring 'off' time, if I kick something in front of me, I can get about fairly well.The 'something' is usually one of the dog's soft toys or a rolled up pair of socks. Obviously, I don't do it outside but inside the house it has stopped me crawling on hands and knees.
Dance! I love dancing! When feeling okay, I love to dance around the kitchen. Also, if I become frozen to the spot eg. in a doorway, I do some balletic foot/leg stretches and that really helps.
What is life coming to? How many more daft things will Parkinson's throw at me?
Lin
xx
I find that I can walk backwards more easily than forwards. Also, I have discovered that if I am unable to walk when enduring 'off' time, if I kick something in front of me, I can get about fairly well.The 'something' is usually one of the dog's soft toys or a rolled up pair of socks. Obviously, I don't do it outside but inside the house it has stopped me crawling on hands and knees.
Dance! I love dancing! When feeling okay, I love to dance around the kitchen. Also, if I become frozen to the spot eg. in a doorway, I do some balletic foot/leg stretches and that really helps.
What is life coming to? How many more daft things will Parkinson's throw at me?
Lin
xx
obviously the answer is dogs for parkies - trained in cha-cha-cha and tango and who in emergencies, you can kicked around the kitchen. The dogo argentino was bred for tango work but is unfortunately deaf. the chihuahua has a great sense of rythmn but causes back ache. i would go for a newfie every time, but they do tend to want to lead.
I have said it before and will do so once more. I can walk a la Jar Jar Binks far more comfortably than trying to walk "normally". It does though cause embarrasment to O/H and odd looks from others.
Turnip - you think from your basal ganglia ? That explains a lot! I tend to use my pre-frontal cortex. (In case of misinterpretation - I am joking!)
Turnip - you think from your basal ganglia ? That explains a lot! I tend to use my pre-frontal cortex. (In case of misinterpretation - I am joking!)
Interesting point Turnip although I'm unconvinced at the automotive theory. I was quite a keen middle and long distance runner when my symptoms first appeared. I was running my usual five miler when I felt myself leaning to the left. Over the course of a few more runs, my right arm started to swing high and I had to grab my shorts to stop it. My right foot started to cross my left foot and I was leaning from the waist right over to one side. The onset of this interesting gait occurred at shorter and shorter distance until now I can only run for 1/4 of a mile. So my running and walking are both abnormal.
Ah well I suppose it's different for everyone; and on the bright side cycling is still good.
Ah well I suppose it's different for everyone; and on the bright side cycling is still good.
Hi AB
interesting point. Depends what you mean by 'think'. If you mean conscious deliberation then that is true. But if you mean by 'think' calculations made on inputs to determine actions then most of that is unconscious. One of the problems with PD is that we have to do more conscious thinking to perform actions which in 'normal' people is performed by unconscious thinking. Conscious thinking is very slow and cumbersome compared to unconscious thinking.
M
interesting symptoms. The research I quoted was only about imagining doing these activities as it is very hard to fit an mri on a bike, though i think there is now an upright one somewhere that might be able to test it better. Only some aspects of movement would be controlled , i think your symptoms are rather unusual, but i might very well be wrong.I think the general point that walking is especially affected compared to other forms of locomotion still holds.Shame skipping looks so silly.
interesting point. Depends what you mean by 'think'. If you mean conscious deliberation then that is true. But if you mean by 'think' calculations made on inputs to determine actions then most of that is unconscious. One of the problems with PD is that we have to do more conscious thinking to perform actions which in 'normal' people is performed by unconscious thinking. Conscious thinking is very slow and cumbersome compared to unconscious thinking.
M
interesting symptoms. The research I quoted was only about imagining doing these activities as it is very hard to fit an mri on a bike, though i think there is now an upright one somewhere that might be able to test it better. Only some aspects of movement would be controlled , i think your symptoms are rather unusual, but i might very well be wrong.I think the general point that walking is especially affected compared to other forms of locomotion still holds.Shame skipping looks so silly.
ps AB - even though a joke still an interesting point i apologise if taking it too seriously!