November 12, 2025

@michaelokun

Do NOT swim alone if you have Parkinson's. Do we do enough to warn people about drowning? Did you know if you have Parkinson's, you can 'freeze' when swimming, and it could be an early warning sign for later Parkinson’s freezing of gait. Freezing of gait (FOG) refers to a brief and sudden inability to move the feet forward despite the intention to walk and it is a disabling symptom frequently seen in Parkinson’s. Verónica Caniça and colleagues describe in a new letter in Movement Disorders Clinical Practice how a 70-year-old man developed 'underwater freezing' episodes while swimming. The episodes occurred years before gait freezing emerged. This letter also offers us a golden chance to highlight aquatic safety for everyone w/ Parkinson’s. Key Points: - A person w/ Parkinson’s experienced freezing episodes during front-crawl style swimming that appeared three years before classical freezing of gait. - The swimming freezes were unrelated to fatigue or anxiety and resembled transient motor blocks possibly triggered by disrupted inter-limb coordination. - The findings suggest that 'underwater freezing' may reflect early dysfunction of central pattern generators controlling rhythmic limb movements and could predict later gait freezing. My take: One of my longest standing pieces of advice for persons with Parkinson's is to never swim alone. Love this letter and love the video. Here are 5 points that resonated w/ me: 1- Swimming can sometimes unmask hidden motor coordination problems in Parkinson’s. 2- Freezing episodes in the water may signal future risk for freezing on land. 3- Health care providers should assess swimming safety and drowning risk in those w/ Parkinson’s who show any movement hesitation or freezing. 4- Early recognition of these episodes may allow proactive adjustments in therapy, supervision and exercise recommendations. 5- Understanding underwater freezing may help identify folks at risk before more disabling gait freezing develops. https://movementdisorders.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mdc3.70423 #parkinson #michaelokun #fixelinstitute