festination
Last reviewed 11/2021
Festination is an involuntary tendency to take short accelerating steps when walking; it is as if the patient is continuously trying to catch up with their centre of gravity.
Patients with parkinsonism may exhibit festination. They sometimes have difficulty initiating movement and then, when in motion, are prone to hurry with their upper body hunched forwards. When they try to stop they are sometimes unable to do so and hence festination continues.