Tips on Mobility for Parkinson Patients

Due to Parkinson’s disease, PD patient face difficulties with body movement, coordination, and mobility as the disease progresses. Gradually they start to depend on others. Today, we will discuss, about the tips of mobility for Parkinson Patients. PD patient needs to move around more – get up and walk around the house every hour or get up.
You can use the following tips and tricks for better mobility.

Tremors

• Holding the limbs in a variety of positions may lessen tremors.
• Hold on to something.
• Press your upper arm against your body.

Getting up from a chair

• Tuck your feet in.
• Try swinging your shoulders left and right a few times as far as you can,  and then get up.
• Slide forward to the edge of a chair. Place your feet on the floor, 6 to 8 inches apart, hands on the sides of your chair. Lean your body forward from the hips. Rock forward and down with your arms and lead with your head to stand.
• Stand for a moment to get your balance before moving off, heel first.

Difficulties turning in bed

• Tie a knotted rope, lay it on the bedcovers and tie it to one foot of the bed. Sit up by pulling on it.
• Try sheets made of shiny material such as nylon or satin.
• Take 3 deep breaths, lift your head up and over, while reaching your arm across your body. If stuck, slide your heels up the bed, lift your bottom up and move to the side of the bed.

Sitting from lying

Roll over first, slowly swing your feet out, lift your head and push away from the pillow, up to a sitting position.

Freezing

• Stop trying to walk. Just relax.
• Maintain a correct posture, keep your heels down.
• Try to bend or lift one leg, or swing your arms.
• Drop an article on the floor and step over it or pick it up.
• Walk with rhythmical music, heel first.
• Look through doorways, not at them.
• Lay a strip of white adhesive tape under the doorframe, the visual impact of the line should activate your non-automatic responses.
• Get a friend to rock you gently.
• Another simple aid is a walking stick. It helps you extend your reach.
• Fix your eyes on a position ahead.

Changing direction

• Consciously stop.
• Correct your balance.
• Lead with your head and let your body follow.
• Start with slightly smaller steps.
• Turn in a wide circle.

Shuffling

• Fix your eyes on a position ahead.
• Stop and relax for several seconds, keep your head up.
• Lead with your knee.
• Practice walking over markers.
• Place your feels firmly on the ground and widen the gap between your feet.
• Try counting –  Use metal heel caps or arms as cues. As you walk, repeat heel-toe, heel-toe, heel-toe to yourself. Put your feet on the floor heel first and then toe. While walking.
• Practice marching with your feet apart.

Other Mobility Strategies

• Avoid doing two things at once, such as carrying a tray of drinks when talking or talking when writing.
• Consciously think about each movement before you do it.
• Rehearse it in your mind’s eye before you start moving. Carefully attend to each movement while you are doing it.
• Break up long movement sequences into separate steps and do only one movement in the sequence at a time.

Few important tips for better speech

• Take a deep breath before speaking
• Swallow before speaking
• Use short sentences with frequent pauses.
• Speak slowly and deliberately.
• Face the listener and then speak.
• Do deep breathing exercise daily.
• Learn relaxation techniques for the head, neck, and shoulders, and practices them.