A common and often a giveaway symptom in Parkinson's Disease is the walk and the posture. The patient often becomes stooped, the head drops down and after a while the arms stop swinging and just hang there, motionless. Moreoften than not the patient does not walk but develops a shuffle. First the feet freeze and feel as if they are glued to the ground. This can often lead to bumps and bruises.
Some patients often find it easier to go up and down stairs or to step over objects.
It often helps to imagine there is something on the ground in front of you and you have to step over it. I have tried this quite a few times, although it doesn't work as well as it used to. The patient may have a 'mask-like' face, the face maintaining the same expression. There may be difficulty in speaking, in which the voice becomes much slower and softer, often resulting in people telling you that you are mumbling. Sometimes there is difficulty in swallowing, therefore, causing problems with eating and often resulting in dribbling.