[reverett123]

Just discovered this one for myself. Meds hadn't started yet and walking was a problem as I got a bowl of cereal. Had a full half-gallon of milk and found that it made a perfect weight for turning my arm into a pendulum. That in turn restored arm swing which normalized balance. Could be effective in self-therapy. I had experimented with this earlier but not with this much weight. The effect is also like a metronome and gives you something to set a rhythm by.

[ol'cs]

That USED to work OK for me, but now as i'm losing my ability to walk , i find that the problem is making my feet go forward. I just have great resistance to "forcing" my feet to go "ahead". It's the only way i can walk now, i have to mentally "push" one foot in front of the other, or i don't go anywhere.

[reverett123]

One thing that helps for me and which Ron Hutton showed me is to use a cane or even a light wand and just touch the top of the foot you want to move forward. Amazingly enough it works most of the time. I've been meaning to get a couple of collapsible radio antennas for that purpose.

Originally Posted by ol'cs

That USED to work OK for me, but now as i'm losing my ability to walk , i find that the problem is making my feet go forward. I just have great resistance to "forcing" my feet to go "ahead". It's the only way i can walk now, i have to mentally "push" one foot in front of the other, or i don't go anywhere.

[Max19BC]

Here's a couple more walking tips that might help.

A) Imagine a string connected from your right hand to your left foot. As you move your right hand forward, imagine it pulling your left foot forward. It gets easier once you get going.
B) Estimate how many steps it will take you to get to where you want to go. Try to keep it under 20 steps and in a straight line. If you have to go around something or make a turn, break it into parts. It's funny, but once my body knows what it has to do, it does it. I just count every step 'till I get there. If I'm off in the amount, it doesn't matter.
C) Try to move with JOY not Adrendaline. If you force yourself to move, you probably can move, but maybe not for long or very far. Every notice how well our body works when we are having fun (Ex. playing with our kids or grandkids.) Maybe Joy releases natural dopamine in our body so we can move better.
D) And my next advice is the hardest for me. Try to walk unmedicated. I'm could be wrong, but I believe we can reprogram our body to function normal again, if we give it a chance to move unmedicated. This is something most doctors (including mine) don't believe in (They seem to want us on meds 24 hours a day). I've been trying this for the past two years. I can now go for a 40 minute walk in the morning (unmedicated for an average of 12-16 hours now). I walk in the woods by by house, just counting away and enjoying the surroundings. Two years ago, I would of needed a walker to get around unmedicated. Mind you, I do a lot more than just walking unmedicated, but that's a whole another topic.

I hope this helps you,
Max
"Keep on Walking"

[Ronhutton]

Like CS, I am losing my ability to walk at 17 years of PD. Only last year I could take the dog unmedicated, but not any more.
Tricks I have used are
1. Resting your cane on top of your foot as you walk,(as Rick has mentioned)
2 Turning your cane upside down and steping over it.
3. I also experimented by trying to force the brain to rewire itself by forcing myself to walk long periods unmedicated, but no good.
4. Try facing your wife/partner hold hands and as they walk backwards, you mirror their steps walking forwards.
5 Another which used to work is imagine you are walking in deep snow, lifting your foot out and stepping over it.
These boots are made for walkin'
good luck
Ron

[Fiona]

Practicing walking in the pool or other calm water environment? Also working a lot on articulating the toes, trying to sense them as expressive paintbrushes as you step, so maximizing the sensory ability of your whole foot......also frequent foot massages......

[MKane]

A cadence used to help me. Kinda like a Marine boot camp drill. But, now my feet are curlimg and turning in.. I just came in from weed wacking and as I stumbled across the pasture I though how nice it would be to have motorized rollerblades with thick rubber wheels.

[ZucchiniFlower]

When my balance is bad, combined with start hesitation, it helps me to hold my arms up in front of me (extended) when I walk, moving my hands up and down a bit as I proceed. I do this at home.

When I'm getting stuck in place, it helps me to rehearse walking in my mind. Then, when I arise, with difficulty, I shift my weight side to side, in place. Then, when I walk, I think of myself walking from side to side, like a metronome, and it's much easier than thinking of moving foward.

I also count 1,2, 1, 2 with the numbers linked to my right foot only. I think this. It helps to establish a rhythm. At night when noone is around, I sing.

I don't know why thinking that I'm walking side to side instead of forward works so well for me, but it does.

Another trick is to imagine that I'm kicking something with my right foot. I actually make a kicking motion with the foot as if something is there, and it gets me going.

With all these tricks in play, I still look like Frankenstein trying to exit the bus or train. The bus drivers are very nice about my slowness getting off.