How does bradykinesia typically present in Parkinson's disease?

How does bradykinesia typically present in Parkinson's disease?

• A. Tremor at rest
• B. Failure to swing one or both arms, shuffling gait
• C. Depression
• D. Short-step gait

Answer: (B)

Bradykinesia is the slowness of initiating and carrying out movements, which shows up as reduced spontaneous movement and a tendency to move more slowly with smaller steps. In Parkinson’s, this often translates to diminished arm swing during walking and a shuffling gait where steps are short and taken with less velocity. That combination—notable reduction in arm swing plus a slow, small-step gait—is a classic way bradykinesia presents in daily movement. Tremor at rest is a separate motor feature (a tremor rather than slowness), and depression is a non-motor symptom. So the description of failure to swing one or both arms along with a shuffling gait best captures bradykinesia’s impact on movement.

Bradykinesia is the slowness of initiating and carrying out movements, which shows up as reduced spontaneous movement and a tendency to move more slowly with smaller steps. In Parkinson’s, this often translates to diminished arm swing during walking and a shuffling gait where steps are short and taken with less velocity. That combination—notable reduction in arm swing plus a slow, small-step gait—is a classic way bradykinesia presents in daily movement. Tremor at rest is a separate motor feature (a tremor rather than slowness), and depression is a non-motor symptom. So the description of failure to swing one or both arms along with a shuffling gait best captures bradykinesia’s impact on movement.