(6) PD, muscle memory & a new normal

Muscle memory and muscle forgetory

In my last post I shared some thoughts about the likelihood of lowered dopamine resulting in 'unclear messaging' in my body. Losing some of my muscle memory - I like to call it my muscle 'forgetory' - has probably led to my poor coordination and 'bumbling gait'.  

In keeping with the notion of my being a practitioner researcher, described in detail in an earlier post, I decided to examine what was happening to me, how it has impacted and what remedial procedure might be applied. 

Let's start with getting dressed, specifically, putting on sandals. While this procedure might be banal for those without Parkinson's Disease (PD), it is likely to represent one of the many frustrations experienced by those who have been parkinsed. 

An Aha moment 

Nowadays, I seldom wear shoes as I struggle to slip them on before tying the laces. On the rare occasion when I do wear shoes, I have to use a shoe horn to get them on. Otherwise, for a retiree, a good pair of sandals are a great substitute. By 'good' I mean well structured sandals with good support from heel to toe, as I have flat feet. Also important, is the rear design of the sandals as I wear customised orthotics that should not slip out while I am walking. 

Bearing in mind that in 2013, the PD started on my right side, the right limbs are generally under utilised. My right arm and leg, generally, are less mobile than those on the left side. In the morning, my sandals are generally on the floor where I would have left them the previous night. Points, 1. and 2. represent the original process while the last two describe what is current. 

1. Leaning against the wall or holding onto something, I would first balance on the left leg, then point the right foot in the direction of the back of the sandal before quickly sliding my right foot in. PROBLEM: for the past few years, my right foot would go into a slow motion movement, then freeze, so I would be unable to slide my right foot into the sandal. I started to accept the action as normal as I had been parkinsed. 
2. During the 'freeze' action that would last up to twenty seconds, I would become irritated and the resulting frustration would reinforce the inaction and freezing. PROBLEM: I started to be concerned that, after regular occurrences, the slow motion action would be reinforced and then stored as the new normal during any attempt to wear sandals. Also, the action would gradually slow down to a freeze! What then? 
3. One morning, out of sheer frustration, I shut my eyes, then cursed, and slid my right foot slowly into the right sandal, and it went in without freezing! Yay! PROBLEM: for my foot to slide into the sandal while my eyes were closed, I had to be leaning against or holding onto something. I know it wasn't, but it felt as if it were a brand new action and I felt so confident. Later, I discovered that I could comfortably slip on my sandals while seated or standing while holding onto something, and keeping my eyes closed.
4. CONCLUSION: I needed to test the action of closing my eyes when dressing with other similar actions to test my new theory. CONCLUSION: Closing my eyes appears first to redirect then to remodel a previous normal memory, i.e. pre-PD, stored for such an action. Consequently, I had modified an existing action into a new normal, i.e. a during-PD memory, for wearing footwear. 

Discovery: I must close in order to open

My sense of points 3. and 4. above, is that my muscle memory appears to be guided, as well as triggered, by what my eyes are looking at during the start of a specific action. If I need to wear sandals, looking at a sandal or a shoe and then my foot, seems to trigger a muscle memory response (A), what may be regarded as the 'previous normal'. 

However, the PD has resulted in unclear or absent messaging, so response (A) has deteriorated to a slowed response (a). As (a) is unacceptable to me in my PD drug-free state, I hunted for and, serendipitously, found a corrective action, response (A+). During the (A+) action, I am performing an action familiar to my body's systems, but with my eyes physically closed. With regular practice, (A+) with any limbs, is slowly becoming my 'new normal'. I had to close my eyes in order to open my mind to new possibilities. I had to modify an existing function in order to reroute it.      

Closing my eyes in order to open my mind appears to allow me to modify a once familiar action from the 'previous normal' to the 'new normal'. It also works for me in other similar situations, where I need to get a limb through a narrow opening. Other examples would be getting my feet into shoes, or pushing my arms through both long and short shirt sleeves. It works so much better when I close my eyes. And this modification does not require me to hunt for any neurological theory to back it up: it works for me! 

Next, I will share what I have discovered how to improve certain balance actions.