This sort of resistance is referred to as lead-pipe resistance because it has been compared to trying to bend a lead pipe. Another resistance to passive movements which the doctor can encounter are regular jerking characteristics, which has been labeled cogwheel rigidity. The severity and extent of this symptom can vary. The patient may encounter stiffness in solely one leg or arm or in all four limbs. As time and the disease progress, rigidity can become so severe as to never allow the muscles to relax. This causes other incommodities such as shoulder, neck and back pains because of the constant stooped forward-leaning position, muscle cramps in the legs or feet, or even sometimes chest pains (Jahanshahi 10).
Furthermore, a very frustrating symptom is the slowness of movement-bradykinesia. The word bradykinesia comes from a Greek origin, brady meaning slowness and kinesia meaning movement. The complete word refers to the slowness in initiating and executing movement. A person who is suffering from Parkinson's disease has much trouble with repetitive movements, they gradually become slower and "smaller". It becomes difficult or maybe impossible for the person to do more than one thing at a time. The simple task of merely brushing their teeth or fastening a button becomes a project. The person may also experience more difficulty with automatic movements in contrast to learned ones. For instance, walking, blinking and swallowing are actions which are performed daily without giving them a second thought. The person may actually experience more trouble with these routine movements but still be able to play an instrument or perform a dance routine (11).
The final major symptom that PD patients tend to encounter is impaired balance and coordination, which therefore causes walking problems. The core of the problem is the person's lack of ability to balance his/her body any longer.