I have had some mobility problems recently mainly my walking. Most of it I can attribute to a change in medication plus the very unsuccessful introduction of Sinemet (which I no longer take).
Now, I have found I can walk in an open environment ie the pavement or the yard at my work but in the office or if there is a doorway or even walking into my living room between the two couches I STOP. I have also found whilst walking up my road on paving slabs I don’t have a problem but when I ventured further and came back down a road where the paving had been replaced by tarmac I had to stop or I froze about 4 or 5 times before I got to the end of the road.
Also people being around doesn’t help as I have to stop, reset, shoulders back and go again.
Sounds familiar, it is common, as I know only too well, for those of us who are prone to freezing to have the problems you describe. Parkinson’s uk have an excellent information sheet
Have same problem,I find anxiety Is my worst enemy,what helps when it starts is co-beneldopa 12.5mg/50mg I only take if absolutely necessary,ie. going to a crowded shop etc or playing golf.ps been diagnosed 13yrs
Hi
I was diagnosed with PD in 2006 and have mainly relied on Sinamet for treatment.
I started to have the walking difficulties you describe around June 2019. Difficulties were just minor at first but they have increased since then and on two occasions caused me to fall. I find that the freezing effect is at its worse when I become anxious such as trying to answer the phone before it stops ringing or reaching the door before the caller gives up and leaves.
At first the inability to move was predictable and occurred at a time between medication doses and it was controlled over time by increasing the doses, but that brought on further problems in the form of hallucinations and so my medication has had to be further adjusted to eliminate these.
I am almost totally reliant on Sinemet and now live in a permanent state of uncertainty never knowing whether or when I might turn “off” or worse still freeze. Another consequence of this situation is I have had to surrender my driving licence.
The situations you describe are exactly what I have experienced. I am worried about my driving licence. I have been informed there is no medical help for freezing. I have tried the recommended things, counting, stopping and go again, shoulders back and head up, and high steps. It is like learning to walk again.
I tried sinemet and it made me worse. I am currently using Requip 1mg x 5 3 times a day and Madopar titrating the dose up. The 5mg tablets had no effect hence the 1mgs. I am yet to feel any benefit from the Madopar.
I prefer walking in open spaces, where there are no cars or pedestrians to get in the way and you can maintain a rhythm. At home I sometimes walk into things like door frames or the fridge freezer, or my L hand painfully bangs into a door handle. I had a couple of walks in the hills in Nov and walks now take 15-30 mins longer than in the past (they used to take 1hr40 to 2hrs 30 in my pre-PD days). I got in the hills last month again, and now I’m considerably worse due to the L arm not wanting to swing and the L leg at the end of the walk feeling like it’s wading through water.
