Parkinson’s News Forums Forums Living ​With​ ​Parkinson’s How do you manage freezing episodes?

  • david-dorsey

    Member
    December 1, 2021 at 7:02 am

    Close your eyes..look right, left and then right again.

    A Neurologist passed on this trick to “reset your brain.”

    Also, avoid looking down …”as much as you can.”

     

     

    • mary-beth-skylis

      Moderator
      December 6, 2021 at 8:52 am

      David, has that trick worked for you? I’m really curious about it.

      • david-dorsey

        Member
        December 7, 2021 at 3:48 pm

        Yes I am fortunate to have success with this trick

  • peggyday

    Member
    December 1, 2021 at 3:08 pm

    Another distraction is humming or singing and a stationary moving to the beat. Also, never force your movement out of freezing.

  • leslie

    Member
    December 2, 2021 at 6:02 am

    <p style=”text-align: left;”>My freezing seems to happen in little periods of days here and there.

    </p>
     

     

    There is no pattern of when they occur. But when they do I usually say out loud “ left right , left right left “ and that works for me.

    I also will freeze when turning around. It seems to help if I just rock back & forth or side to side with each rock getting larger until my big toe on the foot that needs to move leaves the ground. Then I repeat with the other foot if necessary..

  • William R

    Member
    December 2, 2021 at 6:19 pm

    I have had Parkinson’s Disease for 8 years The freezing episodes were getting so bad that I had to curtail going out.  My neurologist started me on amantadine and it has helped immensely.  I still use the tricks, but since I have started the amantadine I no longer have to worry so much about falling and freezing.  I hope it  helps you as much as it has helped me.

  • john-citron

    Member
    January 10, 2022 at 8:37 am

    I had this a little bit before, but now that’s becoming more common. I always have a piece of music in my head since I studied music my whole life, so I use the humming trick and find something to “play” and then move to it.

     

     

  • christine-pratt

    Member
    January 11, 2022 at 3:50 pm

    I find that if I can change position and move my upper torso I can get out of the freeze.   Sometimes I throw something on the ground so I have something to step over.   I have used a wadded-up paper towel or a shoe.  A funny story – once I froze in a store after buying a package of M&Ms.  I threw the M&Ms to the floor to step over but before I got going someone picked the M&Ms up thinking I had dropped them.   They were surprised when I threw them down on the floor again but we had a good laugh.  At other times I will twist from left to right at the waist to loosen up my hips.  Another trick is to breath in and breath out hard as I take a step forward.  I make the decision of what to use based on where I am and what comes to mind.   What I find hard to deal with are people who run up and want to help – does anyone have any good responses to this situation?  Having someone I do not know trying to “help” me makes me very uncomfortable.

  • kenneth-campbell

    Member
    January 11, 2022 at 7:45 pm

    My freezes seem to happen more often when under stress and or pushing a grocery cart and suddenly have to stop for someone. My tricks are counting backwards from ten and say my ABC’s. Much to often I’ve already fallen or manage to sit. It can be frustrating and embarrassing, but I keep saying both until my big toe can wiggle. I often miss a number or two or a few letters and once I can get though the ABC’s, I’m Up and off again! I was diagnosed in 2017 and in the last 3 years it has become much aggressively worse. I know my limitations and don’t push it. The worst is to often I feel a burden to my family when I force myself to ask or call out for help. I recently came to stay with my little big sister and brother in-law. She is a dedicated care giver and 1 out of 5 more siblings that knows much about Parkinson’s. I’m so grateful for them! I ask my other siblings to try to learn something about Parkinson’s, but I recently asked my 34 year old son, “Son, what have you learned about Parkinson’s the last few years? Nothing! Was his answer.” What a blow to my heart!! His wife is an RN I would have believed that they learned much about Parkinson’s together. My 13 year old granddaughter knows more than most of my family. That’s a small part of my life with Parkinson’s.

    I will see my nerologist in a couple of weeks and I believe we are going to try a 4 or 5 medicine. So far all medicine only helps for a year or so. My faith is strong and that is what gets me through!

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