Adjustable Weight Writing Pen
This ergonomically and oversized design pen provides maximum comfort and efficiency, regardless of your writing style. It has a wide and large barrel that provides a good grip. The barrel is made of high-quality material and is very strong.
The great feature about this pen is that it is packed with five 10 grams weights. These weights can easily be added or removed as desired for balance and efficient writing. This feature is particularly helpful for people with Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons patients usually have a tremor that changes over time, it gets severe as the disease progresses. The pen allows them to adjust the weight according to their tremor severity.
The pen comes with black ink and uses standard ballpoint pen refills.
Parkinsons Disease Risk Factors
- Age: In most cases, people do not develop noticeable signs of Parkinsons disease until they are 60 or older. Only in about 10 percent of cases or less do people develop early onset Parkinsons disease .
- Gender: Men are twice as likely to develop Parkinsons than women. In addition, women tend to be on average two years older than men they develop PD.
- Family history: Around 15 percent of people with Parkinsons have a family member with this condition.
- Ethnicity: Hispanics and Caucasions have the highest incidence of Parkinsons disease while African Americans and Asians have the lowest incidence.
Make Commercial Breaks Movement Breaks
If youre watching TV, stand up and march while you swing your arms during the commercials. To increase your muscular strength, lift soup cans or a do a few downward dogs.
Moving more every day is easier said than done. Remember, even small changes can make a big difference. Pat yourself on the back for all of the movement activities you do each day. Every victory counts!
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Pain Management In Patients With Parkinsons Disease: Challenges And Solutions
This review focuses on the diagnosis and management of Parkinson-related pain. It reviews the incidence and prevalence of PD, general pain and PD-related pain, the pathophysiological pathways of pain in PD, physiological pathways of pain relief, measurements of pain, clinical diagnosis of PD-related pain, and treatment strategies.
Its Not Your Fault Blame It On Parkinsons
Desperate for a posture solution, I called Parkinsons experts to inquire about products to help my mom stand up straight. Turns out that my Moms compromised posture wasnt her fault: I was shocked to find out that poor posture is a cardinal symptom of Parkinsons and that the symptom can lead to falls, poor digestion and decreased respiratory functions. I learned that there were no solutions on the market to improve posture for people living with Parkinsons.
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Prolotherapy Treatment For Cervical Spine Instability And Ligament Weakness That May Be Implicated In Dropped Head Syndrome
Caring Medical has published dozens of papers on Prolotherapy injections as a treatment in difficult to treat musculoskeletal disorders. We are going to refer to our 2014 study where we published a comprehensive review of the problems related to weakened damaged cervical neck ligaments.
Prolotherapy is referred to as a regenerative injection technique because it is based on the premise that the regenerative healing process can rebuild and repair damaged soft tissue structures. It is a simple injection treatment that addresses very complex issues.
This video jumps to 1:05 where the actual treatment begins.
This patient is having C1-C2 areas treated. Ross Hauser, MD, is giving the injections.
- The patient was experiencing vertigo, tinnitus, severe neck pain, migraines, and other problems based on C1-C2 instability.
Lower Back Pain In People With Parkinsons
In a previous blog, we discussed pain and PD in general and highlighted different types of pain that a person with PD might experience.
PD contributes factors that can cause or worsen lower back pain, such as rigidity of the trunk muscles or dystonia of the trunk muscles. Both rigidity and dystonia can fluctuate with medication timing and correlate with ON and OFF time.
In addition, PD can be associated with central pain, which is poorly understood and thought to be due to abnormalities in the brain itself. Some new research suggests that PD can change how the brain feels pain that the loss of dopamine can make pain feel worse or make a person more likely to feel pain.
We know that:
- there is a higher prevalence of lower back pain in people with PD vs aged-matched controls
- certain features of PD such as increased age, depression, rigidity, and stooped posture are associated with lower back pain
- lower back pain can make it harder to deal with the challenges of PD because it is associated with lower activity levels. This can breed a vicious cycle in which lower back pain leads to decreased activity levels and then lower activity levels conspire to make the lower back pain worse
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Want More Practical Articles Like This
Much more can be found in our Every Victory Counts® manual. Its packed with up-to-date information about everything Parkinsons, plus an expanded worksheets and resources section to help you put what youve learned into action. Request your copy of the Every Victory Counts manual by clicking the button below.
Thank you to our 2020 Peak Partners, Amneal and Kyowa Kirin, with special support from Adamas, for helping us make printing, distributing, and shipping the Every Victory Counts manual for free possible.
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Q: Do We Really Need The Best Posture Corrector
A: If you dont need a posture corrector, there is no need to purchase one. These entities are meant for adults or teens experiencing some form of back aches and pains, or those suffering from improper alignment and posture issues. Posture correctors or braces must be purchased only if you feel the need to make use of them. If you dont, theres no point in buying them thus, you can save your money for use on other items.
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Drop Head Support System For Managing Head Control Using A New Design With A Cap Or Band
Head Drop Syndrome has many different causes. It describes a lack of head control, where the head drops forward and is associated with numerous conditions. It can have a significant impact on affected individuals regarding quality of life as it can result in considerably restricted activities of daily life, including socializing and performing daily activities. The drop head support is a unique system consisting of a band or cap to hold the head up.
We recommend the employment of a health care professional, often an Occupational Therapist, for both measuring and implementation. They are not returnable as indicated in our return policy due to health concerns.
Band: Measure around chest under bust line. X-Small Small Medium/Large X-Large . Between Sizes? A smaller should work unless there is a bent or stooped over posture of the body/shoulders along with the dropped head. If so, the larger size is recommended. Cap: One size: Measure same as band, fits . Hat is adjustable to fit up to 7 3/8 hat size and is bamboo material which has giveSingle Patient Use Only
Custom Sizes: For custom band or cap when 2 or more inches over or under, select band or cap and indicate your measurements in the Note or Instructions section after adding to cart, while checking out. Allow about 2-3 weeks for customization. The cap cannot be replaced, it is just the band length. The cap is standard adjustable and fits most.
Overlooked Remedies For Lower Neck And Back Pain Relief
When lower neck and back pain continues and remains to conflict with your lifestyle, multiple treatment options might be required for ample relief. Below are some pain in the back treatments that are typically ignored or underused. Try one or more of these remedies to see which one, or mix, functions best for you.
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Conditions Used With The Drop Head Support
Conditions that are associated with dropped head syndrome are categorized as neurological, muscular and others. While there are many, some of the neurological causes are: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrigs Disease, Parkinson Disease, Cervical Dystonia or Torticollis, Cervical Myelopathy and Tardive Dyskinesia. Neuromuscular causes like Myasthenia gravis, and other causes such as Scleromyositis, Isolated Inflammatory Axial Myopathy, Thyroid Conditions, Mitochondrial Myopathy and neck radiation therapy causing Extensor Myopathy. Additionally, there are other conditions like weak neck muscles, muscle degeneration, and posture problems that can benefit from the support.
Talking To Your Healthcare Provider
How do you know if your neck pain is potentially related to your Parkinsons disease?
You cant know for sure, but you and your healthcare provider can explore the issue. If you have been diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, it is important that you and your doctor consider other causes of your neck pain. Thats because the treatment for Parkinsons disease will not help the pain if its caused by arthritis, muscle strain, or a more serious medical issue.
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The 4 Most Common Causes Of Dropped Head Syndrome
- A 2019 systematic review in Clinical Spine Surgery lists the top 20 causes. Of these, 4 stand out as the most common with approximate percentages.
Finishing out the remaining of the top 20 causes of dropped head syndrome in descending order of prevalence as above. The percentages are not included, but decline rapidly from 5% to 1%:
Dropped Head Syndrome Results In Neck Pain Trouble Eating & Interferes With Vision
Dropped head syndrome causes a recognizable deformity with varying degrees of chin on chest posture. There is usually weakness of the neck muscles that results in the head dropping forward, sometimes called ptosis of the head. The fixed flexion or forward bending of the neck is often painful, interferes with feeding and horizontal eye gaze. The head is typically able to be passively ranged or moved up by hand.
It is most often associated with problems of the nerves and/or muscles, however in some cases there is no obvious cause even after extensive evaluation, or muscle biopsy may indicate a cause that is isolated to the neck extensor muscles and non-inflammatory. These cases are called isolated neck extensor myopathy or may be described as idiopathic head ptosis, where neck muscle weakness is the only symptom.
There are many potential and varied causes: central or peripheral nerve disorders like myasthenia gravis or Parkinsons disease, autoimmune problems of muscle and connective tissue such as polymyositis and systemic sclerosis they may be systemic and progressive with a poor prognosis like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis .
The most common cause of dropped head syndrome is isolated neck extensor myopathy and may have a benign clinical course.
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What Are We Seeing In This Image
What we are seeing is a progression of the text neck phenomena. That is over time, if you keep looking down at your smartphone, you will develop text-neck and you will eventually stretch out the ligaments of the cervical spine and this will cause neck instability and any number of dozens of possible symptoms not limited to simply neck pain. There is a very strong chance that if you are reading this article you are suffering from a few of these symptoms. We are going to share some stories with you from people who have multiple symptoms. You may recognize your own problems in these stories.
Look at the last image of the person to the right. That is the end of the text neck progression. This is the Chin-in-Chest position. When you do not have the strength to lift your head up. You are now in cervical instability caused by Dropped Head Syndrome.
Here we have a progression of tension on the neck and why you cannot lift your head up graphically displayed
- Look at the first image of the progression
- The weight of the head feels like 10-12 pounds on top of your neck
Head Supports Give & Take
The main focus has been on supports that provide options for direct head control, especially drop head syndrome from disease and injury, as well as support/treatment for congenital muscular torticollis and spasmodic torticollis. These supports are often required for serious conditions like ALS and other neurological conditions where head control is a main issue or even life threatening.
There is always a compromise between support and comfort. For example, a special anterior support accessory may be necessary for the Headmaster Collar in order to prevent head drop in severe cases. While this helps to provide more rigid support, it decreases the natural spring to the collar, making it less comfortable. The body brace for the head support system may need to be tight for more severe cases, which will increase support, but decrease comfort and must be considered where breathing is an issue.
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The Preponderance Of Injury In The Past Of People With Pd
Neck issues or damage can be caused by injuries, but the injury site doesnt have to be local to the neck itself, since it is an integral part of the kinetic chain of the human body – problems anywhere else which affect posture can, in turn, profoundly affect how we tense our necks and cause strains on it by the way we are holding up the head. Ive frequently asked people with Parkinsons Disease to think carefully about any pains and injuries which they might have incurred either before or concurrent with their PD diagnosis. Ive found that the overwhelming majority of us have suffered a prior accident or physical trauma. Injuries to jaw, neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees or feet predominate. All these severely affect posture and hence the kinetic chain and are liable to make our necks prone to permanent strains and stiffness. So in my view, even if chemical cures were invented tomorrow, people with PD would still present with the postural problems, still suffer from the old injuries which have been masked by the narratives of neurology, and would probably quickly decline into pain and problems again, unless these past injuries are properly attended to.
Dont Be Discouraged There Are Options
I wasnt satisfied with the lack of solutions on the market, and I set out to create an apparatus for Mom while I was studying for a doctoral degree from Carnegie Mellon Universitys Tepper School of Business. I enlisted the help of some senior engineering students who were eager to assist me in creating a one-of-a-kind product. One year and several prototypes later, I found myself with a back brace prototype, developed specifically for people living with Parkinsons, and an opportunity to impact the lives of the 10 million-strong worldwide Parkinsons community.
My company is AbiliLife, and the name of the back brace is the Calibrace+. The braces unique patent pending technology works by pulling the shoulders up and back and providing support across the entire torso.
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What Causes The Condition
Although there are several recognized risk factors for Parkinsons disease, such as exposure to pesticides, for now, the only confirmed causes of Parkinsons disease are genetic. When Parkinsons disease isnt genetic, experts classify it as idiopathic . That means they dont know exactly why it happens.
Many conditions look like Parkinsons disease but are instead parkinsonism from a specific cause like some psychiatric medications.
Familial Parkinsons disease
Parkinsons disease can have a familial cause, which means you can inherit it from one or both of your parents. However, this only makes up about 10% of all cases.
Experts have linked at least seven different genes to Parkinsons disease. Theyve linked three of those to early-onset of the condition . Some genetic mutations also cause unique, distinguishing features.
Idiopathic Parkinsons disease
Experts believe idiopathic Parkinsons disease happens because of problems with how your body uses a protein called -synuclein . Proteins are chemical molecules that have a very specific shape. When some proteins dont have the correct shape a problem known as protein misfolding your body cant use them and cant break them down.
With nowhere to go, the proteins build up in various places or in certain cells . The buildup of these Lewy bodies causes toxic effects and cell damage.
Induced Parkinsonism
The possible causes are:
Say Goodbye To Neck Pain And Get Relief From Pain Instantly
Get relief from neck pain with our NECK Helper Brace. It is a lightweight, form-fitting neck brace with a hollow v-shaped design. It allows for total comfort while providing support to correct your posture and help relieve cervical pain. The ergonomic design ensures proper cervical alignment and posture, while the ventilated areas promote airflow for maximum effectiveness. GET IT NOW!
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Head Supports Devices Designed To Support The Head & Improve Quality Of Life
There are many reasons head supports can be life changing. Those who suffer from diseases that effect the neck muscles like ALS, Parkinsons, Muscular Dystrophy, as well as conditions resulting from brain trauma, radiation therapy and even cases of whiplash and advanced degenerative spinal conditions often require a support that can assist holding the head up. This can be a matter of comfort and relief of pain, or being able to perform daily activities, as well as important support for breathing and eating.
Lightweight Neck Helper Brace
$55.74$27.87
Working in the same position for a prolonged period can result in chronic neck strain. Get instant relief from pain with our NECK Helper Brace. It provides optimum comfort and support for your head, neck, and spine, an ideal solution for whiplash or cervical arthritis.
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1 Year Warranty
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