This case report describes the treatment of gait disturbance in a 64-year-old woman with Parkinson's disease. Needling for 10 min of areas of muscle stiffness and of muscle tonus areas in both lower limbs resulted in immediate temporary alleviation of muscle stiffness and muscle tonus of the bilateral anterior surface of the thigh muscle, the biceps femoris muscle, and the semitendinosus muscle for the duration of the treatment, with improvement in the disturbed gait of the patient. This response occurred regularly on repeated treatment, and was maintained between treatments.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
HoehnM.M., YahrM.D.Parkinsonism: onset, progression, and mortality. Neurology1967; 17: 427–42.
2.
KnutssonE.An analysis of parkinsonian gait. Brain1972; 95: 475–86.
3.
MurrayM.P., SepicS.B., GardnerG.M.Walking patterns of men with parkinsonism. Am J Phys Med1978; 57: 278–94.
4.
RahmanS., GriffinH.J., QuinnN.P.Quality of life in Parkinson's disease: the relative importance of the symptoms. Mov Disord2008; 23: 1428–34.
5.
CristianA., KatzM., CutroneE.Evaluation of acupuncture in the treatment of Parkinson's disease: a double-blind pilot study. Mov Disord2005; 20: 1185–8.
6.
ChaeY., LeeH., KimH.Parsing brain activity associated with acupuncture treatment in Parkinson's diseases. Mov Disord2009; 24: 1794–802.
7.
KangJ.M., ParkH.J., ChoiY.G.Acupuncture inhibits microglial activation and inflammatory events in the MPTP-induced mouse model. Brain Res2007; 1131: 211–19.
8.
YangJ.L., ChenJ.S., YangY.F.Neuroprotection effects of retained acupuncture in neurotoxin-induced Parkinson's disease mice. Brain Behav Immun2011; 25: 1452–9.
9.
MitomaH., YoneyamaM., OrimoS.24-hour recording of Parkinsonian gait using a portable gait rhythmogram. Intern Med2010; 49: 2401–8.
10.
ZijlstraA., de BruinE.D., BruinsN.The step length-frequency relationship in physically active community-dwelling older women. Eur J Appl Physiol2008; 104: 427–34.
11.
KatzelL.I., IveyF.M., SorkinJ.D.Impaired economy of gait and decreased six minute walk distance in Parkinson's disease. Parkinsons Dis2012; 2012: 241754.
12.
NisenzonA.N., RobinsonM.E., BowersD.Measurement of patient-centered outcomes in Parkinson's disease: what do patients really want from their treatment?Parkinsonism Relat Disord2011; 17: 89–94.
13.
HoltK.G., ObusekJ.P., FonsecaS.T.Constraints on disordered locomotion. A dynamical systems perspective on spastic cerebral palsy. Hum Mov Sci1996; 15: 177–202.
14.
UtsumiH., TerashiH., OrimoS.Quantitative assessment of gait bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease using a portable gait rhythmogram. Acta Med Okayama2012; 66: 31–40.
15.
HommaI., MotomiyaY.The inhibitory effect of acupuncture on the tonic vibration reflex (TVR) in man. Neurosci Lett1982; 28: 315–18.
