My Dad lives in assisted living and has pain in his hip and leg joints that is being treated with anti inflammatory and OTC pain relievers. His legs and feet are beginning to pull and turn outward, he says like they have "rubberbands", and won't turn back inward to a more natural state. This causes an uncomfortable tightness and impedes his walking and moving which is of course already extremely difficult. Occasional chiropractic treatments help a little but only for a day or two. I know from Parkinson's Disease literature that stiffness, muscle spasms, and freezing are common symptoms, all of which my father experiences regularly. I do not see however the "locking up of joints", and pain associated with that, and the physical, and perhaps permanent, turning out of legs and feet. His feet are actually beginning to regularly point in opposite directions when he is sitting and they only point forward if I push them into place. He can't do it himself. He feels like the problem starts in his hips being "locked up" and feels the need for them to be "popped" back into place. He thinks if his hips were popped back into place everything else would line up again. I'm not sure what to make of this. He has had x-rays done on these joints and only arthritis was found.
I want to help my Dad as he feel certain he needs to see a "specialist somewhere in the United States" and persistently requests I help him find one. However his mobility and other PD health problems are such that it would be nearly impossible to travel. I feel this is joint lock and turning out of legs and feet are probably more of the cruel symptoms of PD and are probably part of the process of entering the last phase of becoming wheelchair bound. I definitely want to help him if help is available, however I don't want to waste money and my physical and emotional energy pursuing a fix to this problem if no solutions, other than the typical PD regimen of medications and physical therapy, are available.
Does anyone else have experience with these particular type of joint issues with PD and if so what do I do to help my Dad?
Has he always taken an active interest in his own treatment and management? If so, it's quite possible that he has come across this interesting area of research.
Are you in the US? - it's just that you say your father thinks he needs to see a specialist "somewhere in the United States" and I'm not sure if that implies having to travel from elsewhere.
You can read a bare-bones explanation of DBS at www.parkinsons.org.uk.; or there is the Parkinson's Foundation, based in Florida, at www.parkinson.org, which I expect will also have information about it.
May God guide you and help you find the answers you seek in Jesus' name. Amen
I wish you the best of luck.
Everyone needs a little hope. Your Dad is losing his independence and doesn't like it. He is grasping at straws.