ABOUT SWAYING.

Hi all of you who posted about the swaying...the swaying is caused by what I believe to be Levo-Dyskinesia, usually caused by a sensitivity to L-Dopa. I have been diagnosed to have this by my MDS. You have a choice to either cut back on your L-Dopa or ask your doctor for medication for it. Amantadine is one that works and it worked for me except for
side effects. I broke out in a rash that then caused the skin on my toes to peel. Then it spread to my hands and fingers. But there was no itching or stinging with this reaction. Ask your doctor about this medication and perhaps he/she will have some samples for you. Or you could ask for half of a prescription just to take to see if it helps. If it does, then you can then get a full prescription. Let the team know if it helped you. Best wishes. Sterling

@A MyParkinsonsTeam Member , once again, you are so right! See the abstract below:

Levodopa Is a Double-Edged Sword for Balance and Gait in People With Parkinson's Disease.
Curtze C; Nutt JG; Carlson-Kuhta P; Mancini M; Horak FB.
Movement Disorders. (Phone number can only be seen by the question and answer creators) Sep.
Authors Full Name
Curtze, Carolin; Nutt, John G; Carlson-Kuhta, Patricia; Mancini, Martina; Horak, Fay B.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The effects of levodopa on balance and gait function in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) is controversial. This study compared the relative responsiveness to l-dopa on six domains of balance and gait: postural sway in stance; gait pace; dynamic stability; gait initiation; arm swing; and turning in people with mild and severe PD, with and without dyskinesia. METHODS: We studied 104 subjects with idiopathic PD (H & Y II [n=52] and III-IV [n=52]) and 64 age-matched controls. Subjects performed a mobility task in the practical off state and on l-dopa: standing quietly for 30 seconds, initiating gait, walking 7 meters, and turning 180 degrees. Thirty-four measures of mobility were computed from inertial sensors. Standardized response means were used to determine relative responsiveness to l-dopa. RESULTS: The largest improvements with l-dopa were found for arm swing and pace-related gait measures. Gait dynamic stability was unaffected by PD and not responsive to l-dopa. l-dopa reduced turning duration, but only in subjects with severe PD. In contrast to gait, postural sway in quiet standing increased with l-dopa, especially in the more severely affected subjects. The increase in postural sway, as well as decrease in turning duration and exaggerated arm swing with l-dopa was observed only for subjects with dyskinesia at the time of testing. CONCLUSIONS: The observed spectrum of l-dopa responsiveness in balance and gait measures suggests that multiple neural circuits control balance and gait. Many of the negative effects of l-dopa may be directly or indirectly caused by dyskinesia

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So, translation: the study concludes that postural sway when standing quietly increases with use of l-dopa, particularly in those with more advanced PD. But they also say that the increase was only found for subjects with dyskinesia at the time of testing. Subjects without dyskinesia showed no changes in postural sway with l-dopa. L-dopa improves other aspects of mobility, like turning duration: When 'on,' subjects with PD walked and turned more quickly, but became less stable during quiet standing. Dyskinesia, rather than disease severity, accounted for these negative effects of l-dopa.
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So, I guess I can't tell my PD doc that I have absolutely no dyskinesias anymore. Grrr.......It doesn't bother me enough to try Amantadine again, given that it gave me horrific, vivid dreams.

Mentioned Users

A MyParki...

@A MyParkinsonsTeam Member. Well researched my dear Karen. Thank you. I think everybody who has this interest of why they "sway' will understand 100% better now. Right you guys? We care. Sterling

Mentioned Users

A MyParki...

I find this question and the answers very interesting...Several years ago, my NeuroPsych suggested I "sway" when standing still, as this would keep me in motion and subtly keep my core engaged...I have found it helps my balance (I also do a lot of specific core work)... I never considered there to be much to it...Certainly have learned many things from the dialogue...

yes i see it as a type of dyskenesia..kind of the rocking swaying motion that we used to soothe our babies with. Now all we need is a baby and we look normal again!! :D