My partner has been diagnosed with AD. He is bent over severely and uses a walker. I've noticed that sometimes he seems to just stand and 'pedal' instead of putting one foot in front of the other and needs coaching. He is in severe pain and talks about a disease called Camptocormia that is linked to Parkinsons. I've not heard of this. Anyone have any information about this condition? Charles
Charles, I googled the word camptocormia and found several different sites, including some research articles. One definition given was:
Camptocormia is defined as an abnormal flexion of the trunk that appears when standing or walking and disappears in the supine position. The origin of the disorder is unknown, but it is usually attributed either to a primary or a secondary paravertebral muscle myopathy or a motor neurone disorder. Camptocormia is also observed in a minority of patients with parkinsonism.
Charles, a quick trip to Google turned up the following from the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry:
Camptocormia is defined as an abnormal flexion of the trunk that appears when standing or walking and disappears in the supine position. The origin of the disorder is unknown, but it is usually attributed either to a primary or a secondary paravertebral muscle myopathy or a motor neurone disorder. Camptocormia is also observed in a minority of patients with parkinsonism.
Charles, Camptocornia sounds like what my dh has. The Doctors never called his back situation anything other than disc/vertebra problems, but I found some pictures on the Internet and the descriptions sounds exactly like what we have. My dh is bent over severely at the waist and he also has the head drop. Doesn't sound like there is any cure for it or my dh. Good Luck.
Years ago I helped an elderly lady during the nite. Her family thought she had AD. But she would do that. She would pedal and say"go feet go". Well another family member took her to a new doc and she did not have AD at all but a small tumor pressing on a nerve in her brain. Simple surgery and wall la.. She was mobile again.
This is bizarre. Just yesterday I was at the grocery store and saw a woman bent over at the waist like that. I wondered about it, thinking that it did not look like an osteoporosis-type situation. What we learn here ! ! !
My father had this diagnosis. He (in the early stages) had a deep tissue massage therapy known as "rolfing" that is very painful. It improved his posture for a VERY short time, not a lasting result. He is wheel chair bound for the most part and his spine is bent like someone with scoliosis. His head tilts forward and he has difficulty looking up at you when he is seated.