I had the pleasure to attend the Live well with Parkinson’s – Working age group

Most of the attendees have Young-onset Parkinson’s, which develops under the age of 50. Throughout the day, I offered individual fitness consultant sessions and spoke to over twenty people. Of those twenty, only one knew about cueing and used the technique regularly. I cannot stress enough how important, and what a great tool cueing can be if you have Parkinson’s.

What is Cueing?

Cueing in Parkinson’s is a technique that uses visual, tactile or auditory stimuli to help with freezing, posture, walking and gait.

Examples of Cueing

Walking: Using rhythm such as listening to music or counting when stepping or tapping your thigh with your hand.

Freezing: Freezing can occur when walking though a door frame or stepping onto a change in surface. Using an auditory cue like counting out loud or in your head can help with this or using tape to step over or placing brightly coloured tape on a doorway or stair will act as a visual cue.

Pause, Stop and Cue

If you find yourself unable to do something such as freezing or getting up from a chair, remember this simple technique: Pause, Stop and Cue. You will find that stopping for a moment and resetting your mind will distract your mind and body and enable you to then begin the movement again with greater success. Trying to carry on regardless will cause frustration, stress, and anxiety, further inhibiting your movement and therefore feeding the symptoms.

Cueing can help you in many different scenarios, watch this short video to see the power of cueing when walking and try it for yourself.