Parkinson's is characterised by motor and non-motor symptoms.

Motor symptoms include:

• Bradykinesia (slowness of movement)
• Resting tremor, usually unilateral at start
• Rigidity in the form of cogwheeling €“ the muscles respond with cogwheel-like jerks to the use of force in bending the limb, or lead-pipe €“ a state of stiffness and inflexibility that remains uniform throughout the range of passive movement
• Postural instability.

Non-motor symptoms include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Impulsive and compulsive behaviour (impulse control disorder)
• Bladder disturbances
• Constipation
• Postural hypotension
• Sleep disturbances
• Hallucinations/vivid dreams
• Excessive daytime sleepiness
• Changes in speech
• Delayed gastric emptying
• Pain.

Parkinson's disease is a very individual condition and not all patients will have the same symptoms. It can be difficult to predict how quickly symptoms will advance and they may fluctuate on an hourly or daily basis. Traditionally, symptoms are measured using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale.