What is 'rigidity' in relation to Parkinson's?

What is 'rigidity' in relation to Parkinson's?

Neal Hermanowicz (Director of the Movement Disorders Program) gives expert video advice on: How is dexterity affected by Parkinson's?; How does Parksinson's affect the skin?; How does Parkinson's affect body weight? and more...

Rigidity is an important point. It's a change in tone. Many of us who are not in health care or are not physicians or clinicians, don't think about tone, but it's a very important concept to neurologists. Tone is simply the sense of resistance that people have in the movement of their limbs. I check this routinely on the examination of my patients, looking for alterations in tone. Sometimes its quite subtle, but I can detect it, and somebody who does this a lot in the daily routine of their work develops a sensitivity to change of tone. People with Parkinsons, or Parkinsons Disease, do have a change in the tone of their limbs, which can be detected on a clinical examination. Moreover, patients may complain about it in a way that theyll express as, I feel stiff, I feel rigid, not necessarily at the outset but at a later time during the course of Parkinsons Disease, people may develop a sense of stiffness. However, early on it can often be detected by a clinician whos sensitive to it.