Early Warning Signs of Parkinson's Disease

When a reader of my blog asked about the early warning signs of Parkinson’s Disease (PD), I was caught off guard. I know what full-blown PD looks like, but I’d forgotten what PD might look like before it may even be diagnosed. With a little research, here's a list of the early signs and symptoms of PD:

Change in facial expression (staring, lack of blinking)

Failure to swing one arm when walking

Flexion (stooped) posture

"Frozen" painful shoulder

Limping or dragging of one leg

Numbness, tingling, achiness or discomfort of the neck or limbs

Softness of the voice

Subjective sensation of internal trembling

A tremor when limb is relaxed (about 25% of patients, however, will not have a tremor)

Symptoms on one side of the body

Loss of sense of smell

Constipation

Depression

Anxiety

Comments

[Ted]

Thanks! Very thoughtful & helpful :)

[Weeble]

This is the most helpful list I've seen in my Googling. My girlfriend is concerned that she may be developing PD based on the early signs, and your list is helping her to have perspective so as to know how seriously to pursue this. Thanks!