Parkinson’s disease is common in the world and affects the lives of many people each year. It’s a disorder that impacts the central nervous system and affects the movement of the body. The disease occurs when nerve cell damage in the brain causes dopamine levels to drop. Medications for Parkinson’s disease have many side effects (Levodopa and dyskinesia), which may be almost as severe as the actual disease.

As with any condition, early diagnosis is vital to slow the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Here are the earliest warning symptoms to look out for:

1. Slight tremor in one hand
A tremor is an involuntary shiver or shake in a part of the body. Tremors are common side effects and early signs of Parkinson’s disease, along with dyskinesia from Parkinson’s

disease. It typically starts in one hand or foot and then starts to affect both sides of the body over time. Sometimes it can even start in the jaw and spread to the rest of the body. This early sign is very common in people with the disease and is typically the first sign of many people who have Parkinson’s. It usually occurs when the body is at rest and that’s how people will know something is going on in their body.

2. Unexplained stiffness
On top of the tremors, unexplained stiffness is another early sign of Parkinson’s disease. Since the disease affects the body’s movement by targeting the brain, stiffness is another relevant factor. It can occur on either side of your body or both sides of your body and results in a severe decrease in range of motion. It can prevent you from moving easily or from some people it prevents you from moving at all. The worst part about the unexplained stiffness is that it can easily lead in a downward spiral of more stiffness and the inability to move. More stiffness will occur over time.

3. Slower movement
Slower movement is also another early sign of Parkinson’s disease because of how the brain is being affected. Your motion is being put to a halt because your brain is being impacted so your movements will become slower as you get stiffer. This stiffness can start on either side of your body and spread throughout your body.

4. Little or no facial expression
People with Parkinson’s disease have impairment of facial expressivity or hypomimia. This impairment of facial expression means that the patients have little or no facial expressions at all. They can’t correctly display their emotions through their face because it doesn’t move like a normal person’s would. It’s an early sign of Parkinson’s that is seen often.

5. Arms don’t swing when walking
The final early sign of Parkinson’s disease is when a patient’s arms don’t swing when they are walking. This is often an early sign because many people realize it while they are out and find it peculiar that they aren’t moving their arms as much as they used to when moving. It leads to an unorthodox walking style and is often one of the earliest signs noticed by many patients. It could start in the right arm or the left arm and then move to the other side of the body over time.