In Parkinson's disease bradykinesia is demonstrated by:

Appeared in: IGNOU PB. Bsc. Nsg. Entrance-2025

Explanation

Bradykinesia is a cardinal symptom of Parkinson's disease that translates to 'slowness of movement.'.
It involves difficulty initiating voluntary movements and a reduction in the speed and amplitude of actions.
A slow, shuffling gait with small steps (marche à petits pas) and reduced arm swing is a hallmark clinical demonstration of bradykinesia.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

Option A: This describes a resting tremor, which is another cardinal motor sign of Parkinson's disease, but it is not bradykinesia.
Option B: This describes rigidity, a separate cardinal motor sign characterized by increased muscle tone and stiffness.
Option C: This is a common non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease related to autonomic dysfunction, not a motor sign demonstrating slowness of movement.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: Knowing Clinical manifestation of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
Bradykinesia significantly impairs a patient's ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) like dressing, eating, and walking, which increases their risk of falls and dependency.
Nursing care for patients with bradykinesia focuses on safety and mobility. This includes implementing fall precautions, encouraging the use of assistive devices, teaching techniques to initiate movement (e.g., rocking side-to-side), and ensuring timely administration of antiparkinsonian medications to manage symptoms.
What if the question asked about the earliest symptoms? While motor symptoms like tremor are common presenting signs, non-motor symptoms such as constipation, loss of smell (hyposmia), and REM sleep behavior disorder can precede the classic motor signs by several years.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key term in the question stem: 'bradykinesia' in the context of 'Parkinson's disease.'
Break down the medical term. The prefix 'brady-' means slow, and 'kinesia' relates to movement. Therefore, bradykinesia means 'slow movement.'
Evaluate each option to see which one is a direct example of slowness of voluntary movement.
Eliminate options that describe other phenomena: 'Pill rolling' is a tremor, 'rigidity' is stiffness, and 'constipation' is a non-motor symptom.
Conclude that 'slow and shuffling gait' is the only option that directly demonstrates the slowness of movement characteristic of bradykinesia.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Clinical manifestation of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease
Stem keywords: Parkinson's disease, bradykinesia
Lead-in keywords: demonstrated by
Negative lead-in flag: false

Question ID

QV5xAOXxZlt35H-cQsV3m9

Reference Book

E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) pp. 1844-1846, 1835-1837

E6 Pharmacology Nursing Lilley 11e Part 1 p. 253-255

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