Parkinson's Disease Health Center
Symptoms
The type and severity of symptoms experienced by a person with Parkinson's disease vary with each individual and the stage of Parkinson's disease. Symptoms that develop in the early stages of the disease in one person may not develop until later-or not at all-in another person.
The most common symptoms include:
- Tremor, or shaking, often in a hand, arm, or leg. Tremor caused by Parkinson's disease occurs when the person is awake and sitting or standing still (resting tremor) and subsides when the person moves the affected body part.
- Stiff muscles (rigidity) and aching muscles. One of the most common early signs of Parkinson's disease is a reduced arm swing on one side when the person is walking that is caused by rigid muscles. Rigidity can also affect the muscles of the legs, face, neck, or other parts of the body and may cause muscles to feel tired and achy.
- Slow, limited movement (bradykinesia), especially when the person tries to move from a resting position. For instance, it may be difficult to get out of a chair or turn over in bed.
- Weakness of face and throat muscles. Talking and swallowing may become more difficult, and the person may choke, cough, or drool. Speech becomes softer and monotonous. Loss of movement in the muscles in the face can cause a fixed, vacant facial expression, often called the "Parkinson's mask."
- Difficulty with walking (gait disturbance) and balance (postural instability). A person with Parkinson's disease is likely to take small steps and shuffle with his or her feet close together, bend forward slightly at the waist (stooped posture), and have trouble turning around. Balance and posture problems may result in frequent falls. However, these problems usually do not develop until later in the course of the disease.
Tremor is often the first symptom that people with Parkinson's disease or their family members notice. Initially, the tremor may appear in just one arm or leg or only on one side of the body. The tremor also may affect the chin, lips, and tongue. As the disease progresses, the tremor may spread to both sides of the body, although in some cases the tremor remains on just one side.
Emotional and physical stress tend to make the tremor more noticeable. Sleep, complete relaxation, and intentional movement or action usually reduce or stop the tremor.
Although tremor is one of the most common signs of Parkinson's disease, not everyone with tremor has Parkinson's disease. Unlike tremor caused by Parkinson's disease, tremor caused by other conditions gets better when your arm or hand is not moving and gets worse when you try to move it. The most common cause of non-Parkinson's tremor is essential tremor, a treatable condition that is often wrongly diagnosed as Parkinson's disease.
Other symptoms
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
Parkinson's Disease Guide
