Category: Uncategorized

Forward head posture (FHP) is a common Parkinson’s symptom where your head is positioned forward in front of your body’s vertical midline. Neutral head posture is when your ears line up with your shoulders and midline. FHP can cause neck pain, stiffness, an unbalanced gait, and other side effects. It’s also often associated with rounded shoulders and stooped posture.

The weight of your head on your spine increases from about 10 pounds in the neutral position to a whopping 49 pounds when your head is hunched forward at a 45-degree angle. If your head is protruding forward, the muscles in the front of your neck get shorter and tighter, and those at the back of your neck get longer and weaker.

Continue reading “Is Your Head on Straight? Improve Your Parkinson’s Stooped Posture!”

I was asked to go into more detail about the hand warming technique I shared last week. I figure if one person is asking, more people might want to know!

Last week I showed you some great warm-up and cool-down techniques that you can easily do at home with items you probably already have in your pantry—dry rice and popcorn kernels. I learned these methods from my client Nancy, an Occupational Therapist and certified Hand Therapist who also has Parkinson’s.

Continue reading “Part 2: Warm-up Technique To Treat Parkinson’s Painful Stiff Hands”

Have you noticed your hands becoming stiffer and less reactive when you try to move them? You need to exercise your hands like you do the rest of your body. Whether you have Parkinson’s or arthritis, if your hands become stiff, every task takes longer, and it really affects your quality of life.

Continue reading “Try This Warm-up Technique To Treat Parkinson’s Painful Stiff Hands”

The muscles of the upper back, along with the action of the shoulder blades, are very important to posture and the stabilization of the shoulders. Poor posture associated with Parkinson’s disease often creates tight chest muscles and weak back muscles, which can lead to pain in your shoulders.

Your shoulder blades should “glide and float” on your rib cage. If you have a stooped posture, your shoulder blades can’t sit or glide normally on the ribs. Your chest muscles become tight and pull the shoulders and arm forward, causing pain and complications with the rotator cuff muscles.

Continue reading “Parkinson’s Stooped Posture Causing You Pain? Retract Those Shoulder Blades!”

People with Parkinson’s often struggle with stooped posture and shoulder pain. It may seem like these are two different problems, but your shoulder pain may be just a symptom of dysfunction of the upper back and shoulder blade relationship. If this dysfunction is ignored for too long, it can result in a rotator cuff tear.

The muscles of the upper back, along with the shoulder blade action, are very important to posture and the stabilization of the shoulder. Your shoulder blades should “glide and float” on your rib cage. If you have a stooped posture, your shoulder blades can’t sit or glide normally on the ribs. Poor posture associated with Parkinson’s disease often creates tight chest muscles and weak back muscles, which affects this delicate balance.

Continue reading “Treat Parkinson’s Stooped Posture with Ball-Assisted Scapular Glides”