Bent knees and tiptoeing: Late manifestations of end-stage Parkinson's disease

✍ Scribed by Ruth Djaldetti; Mark Hellmann; Eldad Melamed

• Book ID: 102503216
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2004
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 65 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-3185
• DOI: 10.1002/mds.20187

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

We describe a unique gait phenomenon of bent knees in 9 patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease (mean age, 73.1 ± 11.1 years), 3 of whom also manifested tiptoeing. The bent‐knee posture appeared only during ambulation; in the recumbent position, full or nearly full extension was possible in all patients. The abnormality emerged after long‐standing disease (6–23 years from onset) and failed to respond to dopaminergic treatment. Most of the patients also had bent spine (camptocormia). The pathogenesis of these phenomena are unknown, but they might represent a rare type of dystonia.© 2004 Movement Disorder Society