PWR!Moves: Turning Safely

PWR! Moves : Turning Safely

We often see our clients with Parkinson’s disease have difficulty with turning. They might festinate, freeze, lose balance, or even fall while turning. This loss of balance often stems from having hypometric anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs), which are essentially the required pre-emptive weight shifts to the stance limb prior to making a turn. This exercise focuses on increasing the APAs for the first step of a turn, so that the client has more room to make their turn, and are less likely to cross over their steps, festinate, or fall.

Thank you to Catherine Printz, PT, DPT, NCS for the move of the month. For more about Cat, you can visit her directory here.