[davew833]

can someone describe Parkinsons 'freezing' in terms of small, coordinated arm & hand movements like typing, using a mouse, etc? I haven't been DX'd with anything (I have a variety of neuro symptoms I'm concerned with) but I've noticed a jerkiness in my motion when I use a mouse, like I'll get to a point halfway to where I want the mouse to go and my arm locks up for a minute. I have to consciously over-exert to get it to move again and so I overshoot my goal.

Also sometimes when I go to click or type a key, I can feel the impulse to do so going to my finger but then the resultant motion is either not what I expected, or is absent. In typing, I'll go along fine, and then the flow of typing totally breaks up and I have to stop and concentrate on what I'm doing to get into a flow again. Sometimes I don't ever get it back, stumble all over the keys, and end up going back to the slow, one-finger method.

Maybe it's all "normal"-- I was never a great typist, but the mouse thing has me worried.

I don't really have the "Classic" symptoms of Parkinson's, (resting tremor on one side, shuffling, stiffness, mask expression) but I'm a younger guy at 43 with some other stuff going on-- lots of muscle twitching, sleep onset myoclonus which sometimes happens when I'm awake too, slight postural or action tremor, dizzy spells/headaches, and LOTS of worry and stress! Did I mention I'm OCD so I notice everything my body does or doesn't do?

[johnt]

davew833,

Your keyboard/mouse problems are similar to mine when, like now, I'm waiting for the Parkinson's meds to kick in.

For instance, working on a laptop with a pressure pad, it's taking me an average of about 12 moves to get from one corner of the screen to another.
In comparison, my 11 year old son is doing it time after time in 1 or 2 moves.

Please do not take this as a diagnosis of PD; there are many other possible causes.

Also note that PwP have varied symptoms.

John

[Jomar]

Could the arm/movement problems be repetitive motion issues?

I don't know what type of work, hobbies, sports you do, but if repetitive motions causes are a possibility you might want to read on our Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) forum.
link is to the Useful sticky thread there - Our Useful Links - Websites, Articles & Polls --- (therapies also)
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread84.html

If nothing else, the therapies mentioned in the posts can be helpful for many conditions.