This Walking Change Could Be A Sign Of Early Parkinson's

<div><img src="https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/68d1673f1400008aaf5c5a8d.jpg?ops=scalefit_630_noupscale" alt="Walking" data-caption="Walking" data-credit-link-back="" data-credit="Benjamin DeYoung via Unsplash" />Walking</div><div class="content-list-component text"><p><a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/stair-walking-problems-dementia_uk_65799484e4b0881b791920fb">Difficulty walking up the stairs</a>, thanks to the onset of a “shuffling” gait, has been linked to increased dementia risk. </p><p>And a decline in gait speed alongside cognitive changes <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/early-dementia-sign-gait-change_uk_6720b144e4b0dd72996c9b54">has been associated with</a> increased likelihood of developing the condition, too.</p><p>Those with Parkinson’s <a href="https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/movement-symptoms/trouble-moving" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">might notice multiple changes</a> to their walking patterns, too, including smaller steps, slower speed, difficulty turning, and feet that land flat rather than on the heel, increasing a person’s risk of falls.</p><p>Scientists think that a change to the upper body while walking could reveal early Parkinson’s, too.</p><h2><strong>Arm swinging may be decreased in early Parkinson’s </strong></h2><p>According to <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5053872/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a 2016 paper</a>, decreased arm swing while walking may serve as a prodromal (early and usually pre-diagnosis) sign of Parkinson’s. </p><p>They looked at the arm swing of people with the genetic mutation LRRK2-G2019S, <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nl