Philip Tindall says he 'tried to ignore' his Parkinson's
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One in 37 people alive today in the UK will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s in their lifetime. Although the disease is characterised by tremors, slow movement and stiff muscles, there is one sign in your face that you shouldn’t ignore – facial masking. Express.co.uk reveals what facial masking is and how to spot it, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation.
Parkinson’s is a condition in which parts of the brain become damaged over time, and it’s slightly more common in men than women.
Symptoms normally start to develop when you’re over 50, but one in 20 people first experience symptoms when they’re under 40.
The symptoms of the disease start off mild and when they develop there are treatments available to reduce the symptoms and maintain your quality of life for as long as possible.
Parkinson’s symptoms
Parkinson’s signs and symptoms may include:
- Tremor: A tremor, or shaking, usually begins in a limb, often your hand or fingers. You may rub your thumb and forefinger back and forth, known as a pill-rolling tremor. Your hand may tremble when it’s at rest.
- Slowed movement (bradykinesia): Over time, Parkinson’s disease may slow your movement, making simple tasks difficult and time-consuming. Your steps may become shorter when you walk. It may be difficult to get out of a chair. You may drag your feet as you try to walk.
- Rigid muscles: Muscle stiffness may occur in any part of your body. The stiff muscles can be painful and limit your range of motion.
- Impaired posture and balance: Your posture may become stooped, or you may have balance problems as a result of Parkinson’s disease.
- Loss of automatic movements: You may have a decreased ability to perform unconscious movements, including blinking, smiling or swinging your arms when you walk.
- Speech changes: You may speak softly, quickly, slur or hesitate before talking. Your speech may be more of a monotone rather than have the usual inflections.
- Writing changes: It may become hard to write, and your writing may appear small.
The sign in your face you shouldn’t ignore
As mentioned, Parkinson’s causes muscle stiffness.
What most people fail to recognise, unless they have the disease themselves, is that Parkinson’s can also impact the use of facial muscles.
Experts and the Parkinson’s community call this hindered ability a ‘Parkinson’s mask’ or ‘facial masking’.
If you’re regularly told that you look serious, depressed or angry when you’re not, this could be a sign of Parkinson’s disease.
Some Parkinson’s patients in the Parkinson’s Foundation forum say this symptom was one of the first things they noticed and caused them to chat to a medical professional about the condition.
When we think of muscles that can be affected by stiffness and slowness, we normally jump to legs, arms, abdominals, shoulders, back or anything you use to exercise with.
However, The Parkinson’s Foundation points out that the same stiffness and slowness that can impact your walking and other activities can have more subtle impacts such as reduced facial expression (also called hypomimia or facial masking).
The Foundation’s site reads: “When the muscles of the face are stiff or take longer to move, it can be hard to crack a smile, raise your eyebrows or otherwise express your feelings using your face, which is an important part of how we communicate.
“Combined with Parkinson’s speech changes, such as low voice volume, facial masking can make it hard for others to interpret your mood and intentions.
“People might assume you’re upset or depressed all the time, which can be frustrating if they constantly ask, ‘What’s wrong?’ when you are feeling fine.”
Although, it’s worth mentioning that mood changes and depression are common and treatable in Parkinson’s disease, so it’s important to be honest about your feelings and get help.
You’ll probably be taking medication to manage your Parkinson’s, and some medicines can cause you to have the same type of expressionless look until you stop the medication.
However, there are medications to treat movement symptoms in Parkinson’s including facial masking.
The Parkinson’s Foundation site advises: “It is also a good idea to ask your doctor for a referral to a speech-language pathologist.
“He or she can teach you facial exercises that may help with masking, as well as other issues you may be having, including speech and swallowing problems.”
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