Freezing of legs

Hello @don54 and welcome to the Parkinson's support group on Mayo Connect. Freezing of gait is a very frustrating symptoms of PD. It sounds like the freezing your husband is experiencing is when he begins to walk from a sitting position, rather than while he is walking. Is my understanding correct?

Has your husband been referred for physical therapy? If not, please ask for a referral. There are physical therapists who are specially trained to work with PD patients and they can be very helpful.

I think your plan to get a second opinion is a good one. There might be a different med or therapy which might be helpful. Ideally, your second opinion should be with a movement disorder specialist. These are neurologists who have special training in PD and other movement related disorders.

Does your husband have any speech or swallowing problems? Any problems with taste or smell?

Yes, when he gets up from a sitting position. It also happens if he stops right away.
He was going to PT after he had cervical neck surgery in June 2023. The surgery was for narrowing of the spine. They put in a bridge replacing 3-4-5 vertebra. When he went for his 6 month check up with the neurosurgeon he asked Don if he was ever checked for Parkinson. We went to see a neurologist the following and he said it was Parkinson gait. Started him on carb/levo 25-100.
2 pills 3 times a day. It helped some out in the beginning then stopped working as well as it was. The Dr added Entacapone 200 mg to be taken along with the carb/levo. He now has to have my help when he walks, getting out of chair.
We do go for walks daily. He averages around 4000 to 7000 steps a day. He also does other exercises that he learnt when he was in PT.
He does not have any speech, swallowing problems,or taste or smell problems
I'm sorry to give you all this info but we are at rits end. Don't know what to do.
I do like the neurologist that he goes to, but family keeps saying to get a second opinion from Mayo Clinic.

I have been having more and more trouble with freezing. Have come close to falling. I have an appointment with neurology at Mayo Rochester in about a month. I am going to email them this week to see if they have any ideas on what else I can do for this. I take Artane and Sinimet. Used Mirapex in the past. Had much less freezing on the Mirapex but he does not want me on that anymore.

My husband goes to Dr in May. I am hoping we can get some answers to why
the medicine doesn't seem to help. When he first started carb/levo his biggest thing was fear of falling. The medicine seems to have helped that somewhat, but not the freezing of legs. He gets so frustrated. I told him he can't give up.
I hope your Dr appt goes well for you. Hugs

I too have trouble with freezing, is there any other solutions that may help? I was diagnosed in September of this year, and I take Carb/levo but it seems to be getting worse. I also do physical therapy 3 times a week. Any help would be appreciated.

My husband's Dr added Entacapone 200 mg to be taken along with his carb/levo
It's suppose to be like a booster. It helped in the beginning of him taking it but
he still has his good and bad days. I have found that when I help him get up from a sitting position I have him take deep breaths and to count. It seems to help. I hope this will help.

Ditto to everything that has already been said. I have hade PD x 4 yrs. My gait freezing is getting worse. I take carbidopa/leva doapa & Entacapone. I started back agina @ seeing PT. I also do Rock Steady Boxing. I try to reme's 'smber wat the Pt"s telll me to do. It is challenging. Good luck everyone. I am trying to figure out if I have more gait freezing when I am experiencing dyskinesias.

Freezing and the tiny steps called festinations were my husband's first symptoms. Freezing happens frequently now especially when exhausted. He used a walker and moves safely even when freezing. He also has sleep problems and deep exhaustion most of the time. No other tremors only legs.
Found second opinions very useful.

This is the first that I have found somebody who has freezing of the legs and no other symptoms.
Deep breaths helps him a lot. When he gets up from chair and starts to move I do deep breaths along with him and it seems to me helping. Once he starts walking on his own and he tries to turn he counts. And he said it works, which surprises me as he usually is against trying something new.
( sorry to put the last comment in but it is hard when I suggest things and he finds the negative side of it. It's not fun being the caregiver).

Does anyone with Parkinson's use the U-Step 2 walker with laser & sound cues to help with the freezing? Dpes it help? I am considering buying one. Thanks