When Swing Arm is Not Symmetrical Early Signs of Parkinson's Disease

Patients with Parkinson's disease is not symmetric arm swing when walking, which is one less arm swinging than the other arm. Unusual movement is easily detected at early stages when drugs and other therapies could help slow the disease.

"Scientists have known that people with Parkinson's disease indicates the swing arm that will be decreasing during the final stages of the disease, but no one can easily measure it. We found that Parkinson's patients not only reduced arm swing, but the swinging arm is also not symmetrical. The swing arm are not symmetrical can be easily detected in the early development of the disease, "said Stephen Piazza, associate professor of kinesiology as reported by ScienceDaily, Tuesday (27/12/2011).

There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but if treated early, certain medications can reduce some of the symptoms and even reduce the likelihood of death. Some people also believe that changes in nutrition and lifestyle factors can alter disease progression.

In a research report published journal gait & Posture, the researchers attach accelerometers are cheap in the eighth arm of Parkinson's disease patients who are at early stages of the disease, ie within three years after clinical diagnosis.

Researchers also attach accelerometers to the arms of eight people who did not have Parkinson's disease by age and sex with patients.

All of the research team asked participants running continuously for about eight minutes at a speed that feels comfortable. The researchers downloaded data acceleration via software that has been developed to analyze the distance of the swing arm.

According to Joseph Cusumano, professor of engineering science and mechanics, the lower the cross-correlation and synchronization of both arms showed reduced coordination of arm movements that bad.

"In other words, if I measure the location of the right arm, it is difficult to predict the location of the left arm. Parkinson's disease affects the way the motion. The neurologists have used this fact as the basis of clinical examination for a very long time. But we for the first time, we can accurately measure how the impact of this disease not only on the amount of movement, but also the coordination of movement, "said Prof. Cusumano.

To diagnose early Parkinson's disease patients, some doctors and scientists have proposed the use of smell tests for this disease lose their ability to distinguish odors.

"But conditions other than Parkinson's disease can also affect a person's ability to sniff out the smell," said Huang Xuemei, a movement disorder physician at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

This method of evaluation of the swing arm can be applied quickly and cheaply by a physician in his office when the smell test is not convincing enough, and before undergoing brain scans are expensive.

"Measuring the swing arm is no symmetry with our method may be the cheapest and most effective way to detect early Parkinson's disease, while patients are still likely to be treated the symptoms of the disease," said Piazza.

The scientists plan to investigate further whether the test evaluates the swing arm in combination with olfactory tests may further improve early diagnosis.

Scientists also plan to develop the technique so that the accelerometer can provide a direct reading, so it would cut the steps to download the data into a computer and analyze it, and make a test swing arm Parkinson's disease easier.