What is this? Faster than usual shuffle walk, very hunched over, with weak muscles?

Hi PandaMom. My Mom had the same type of walking, freezing, speeding. Neuro said no to Parkinsons but due to increased mobility issues and falls, is trying sinemet. Not sure if it’s making much difference. A recent mri showed nph (normal pressure hypertrophy) “fluid on the brain” which might be cause of worsening mobility. Best of luck with your Dad.

First I am wondering if he was not exhausted from the day at the hospital. And I bet he had nothing to eat or drink the entire time.
After some fluids, a bit to eat and a snack and a nap I am sure he felt "better"
Mini strokes is (are?) a good possibility. did he have tests at the hospital to rule out a stroke or strokes? And does he have a base line so that they can compare from a previous test?
There is a good possibility that after the fall he may be frightened that he will fall again so he is compensating with a gait that he may think is "safer". If this is the case PT might help but if he has any sort of dementia this might literally be an exercise in futility. He will "forget" that he can walk with a "normal" gait, all he may recall is the fall. It is possible that a wheelchair may be safer for him than walking. The trick then is that he may "forget" that and he may try to stand and walk. The stage before the wheelchair may be giving up the cane in favor of a walker if you can transition him to one. Might be something to discuss with PT.

This gait you describe is called "festination".

Freezing of gait – Freezing of gait is characterized by a hesitation before stepping forward, or difficulties when initiating walking. Some people with PD report it feels like their feet are glued to the floor. The freezing is frequently temporary, and the gait may be at a normal pace after a step or two. Freezing may occur only in specific situations, for example: when starting to walk, when turning, or when walking towards a particular goal, like a doorway or chair. It can also occur when walking through a doorway or when changing directions. Freezing may also occur when a patient feels like he/she is being rushed or trying to cross a busy street. Freezing can be a potentially serious problem for people with PD, and it may increase the risk of falling.

Shuffling gait – Shuffling gait appears as if the person is dragging their feet as they walk. Steps may also be shorter in stride (length of the step) in a shuffling gait. The shuffling gait is also seen with the reduced arm movement during walking.

Festinating gait or festination – A quickening and shortening of normal strides characterize festinating gait. While the steps are quicker, the stride is shorter, causing this to be a very inefficient gait, which can be frustrating and tiring for the person experiencing it.

That's exactly how my dad would walk (Parkinson's) It's like he'd get a head start and wow--just keep going.

My old client with PD walked the same way with her walker. Like she got her sea legs under her and then she'd take off---we never did solve that issue, sadly.

I'm a little confused about how him having a snack helped him recover and then he was given insulin because his blood sugar was out of wack. It might not be blood sugar related, but, I'd check it out. Your profile says that he has diabetes. If his blood sugar was low, it might cause him to go down that way. I'd check his blood sugar level to see where it is. If it's low, follow doctor's orders for how to bring it up. Normally, I use 15 carbs, initially. You say that he later needed insulin, so, that would mean that his blood sugar was not too low and was too high, so, perhaps, he didn't need the snack. I'd try to figure that out, so, you can rule it out as a cause or address it.

Also, I'd discuss the odd walking with his doctor too. I know that Parkinson's does usually involve a distinctive gate. But, my LO has Vascular Dementia and early in her progression her legs became so weak that she could not walk. It was like they had cement in them. I suspected Parkinson's but, she never had any other symptoms and her doctors never thought she had that either.

Early in her dementia, she went to a wheelchair and was able to move her feet sufficiently to propel the wheelchair around the MC. She was able to function in the wheelchair for over 5 years, still able to propel with one foot. We believe it was caused by the mini strokes or vessel disease. One positive thing is that she didn't fall as much. AND, her mobility was much better as she was able to scoot all over the MC in her wheelchair. (They remove the feet to the wheelchair to make it easier to push with feet.) In her case, the wheelchair improved her mobility, as before she would sit afraid to get up for fear of falling due to her weak legs and poor balance.

I hope that you can find some answers. It's so troubling when they are falling so much. So scary. I know.

Thank you. This sounds like what he might have.

I've found an article you may find interesting

https://www.bcm.edu/healthcare/care-centers/parkinsons/conditions/vascular-parkinsonism

That sounds very much like a Parkinson's gait. My mom had several Parkinson's like symptoms (Parkinsonism) I attributed to her vascular dementia, although her doctor did think it might be true Parkinson's and prescribed sinemet.