Re: loss of sensation

[Murray Charters <mcharters@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 3 Nov 2003 at 21:19, Carol Kerr wrote:

What is the cog wheel effect?  I am having a lot of discomfort, staiffness,
and pain in my right shoulder (which is the side that is affected by PD).  I am
wondering if it is connected.

Thanks
Carol

----------

mORNIN' cAROL,

whoops......

from my notes...

* * *

cog wheel effect * cog wheel rigidity * cogwheel phenomenon * cog-wheel 
phenomenon * cog-wheel tremor * cog-wheel
movements

* * *

'Pin rolling' a term used to describe the type of tremor between the thumb and 
index finger of people with Parkinson's.
It derives from the method that apothecaries used to make round pills.

Rigidity the name given to the special type of stiffness which is one of the 
main symptoms of Parkinson's. The muscle
tend to pull against each other instead of working smoothly together. This is 
due to a failure of reciprocal relaxation
of the antagonist muscles.

There are two types:

Cog wheel rigidity a term used to describe the type of intermittent resistance 
to movement found in Parkinson's

Lead pipe rigidity a term used to describe the sustained resistance to movement 
found in Parkinson's and also
cerebrovascular disease

* * *

Patients suffering from Parkinson?s disease (Van Hilten 1993) suffer from a 
lack of control while performing motion
tasks. Three types of impairments are distinguished:

Rigidity of the muscles, which can be described as a resistance against 
movement. It is interrupted regularly by a cog-
wheel phenomenon with a frequency of 5-8 Hz.

Resting tremor, which is an involuntary oscillating movement when the patient 
is at rest, notably occurring at the
patient?s fore-arms and hands.

Akinesia, which can be described as an inability of the patient to move. The 
most notable symptom is that the patient
moves very slowly.

* * *

 Describe physical manifestations of Parkinson?s including:  facial expression, 
gait, tremors, speech problems,
swallowing problems, ?freezing? or akinesia,  bradykinesia, and cog-wheel 
movements.

* * *

Rigidity

The doctor may notice rigidity or stiffness when he or she moves the arm around 
at the elbow or wrist. This is
described as lead - pipe rigidity when the limb is just generally difficult to 
bend or straighten, as if it were a
metal pipe. Where tremor is also present, it is referred to as cog-wheel 
rigidity, as the movement in the joints feels
like a ratchet. The limb may appear to feel clumsy, weak or heavy.



* * *

cheers .... murray

PS: don't forget that the "lingo" describing Parkinson's may relate back 100 
years or more when terms like cog-wheel
may have been in common use and thus more readily relate ....

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