Creighton University has received a $222,500, three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop guidelines that could ultimately lead to better management of rigidity in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

“Rigidity or stiffness is one of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Our goal is to better understand the physiological and biomechanical factors underlying rigidity,” said principal investigator Rui-Ping Xia, Creighton assistant professor of physical therapy. “We hope to develop guidelines to objectively measure rigidity and assess the therapeutic outcomes for future clinical trials involving patients with Parkinson’s.”

A total of 50 male and female patients with mild to moderate levels of rigidity will be recruited for the study; another 50 patients without Parkinson’s will serve as control subjects. Joe Threlkeld, associate professor of physical therapy, is a co-investigator for the study.

Persons interested in participating in the study should call Clint at 402.280.5679 or Rebecca at 402.280.5946 for more information.

Approximately two in 1,000 elderly people have Parkinson’s, a progressive neurodegenerative disease involving the brain. In addition to rigidity, symptoms include shaking, slowness of movement, and difficulty with balance and coordination, including walking