September Symposium: Thawing Out - Strategies to Reduce Freezing in Parkinson's Disease (2020)

This talk, led by Parkinson Society British Columbia’s very own neuro physiotherapist, Shelly Yu, centered on the concept of freezing in Parkinson's disease, characterized by a brief halt in forward movement despite intending to walk, often accompanied by trembling. It's a significant cause of falls, triggered by motor, cognitive, and environmental factors. Managing freezing proves challenging due to cognitive deficits, diminishing cue effectiveness, and therapy-related fall risks. Strategies such as cognitive targeting, cue usage, and medication adjustments were proposed to address freezing episodes.

The talk proposed various approaches to overcome freezing, advocating bigger, slower, and symmetrical steps, mimicking environments causing freezing, employing diverse cues, and integrating tasks combining physical and cognitive elements, underlining the importance of training both body and mind in rehabilitation.

Furthermore, the use of visual, auditory, and tactile cues was discussed to counteract freezing episodes and frozen limbs. Visual cues like floor lines or walker lasers, auditory cues such as metronomes or verbal instructions, and tactile cues involving physical touch were highlighted as effective in reducing freezing and enhancing mobility.

View the video slides accompanying this presentation by clicking here.

**Disclaimer: These sessions are designed to provide general education and are not intended for individual advice and/or clinical care. The information conveyed in this recording was accurate at the time of presentation.**