Bug or feature?

I'm currently playing a squishy rogue character, so I hired a follower to help me tackle a dragon priest dungeon. He (rhymes with "Narcurio") absolutely rocked.

Until he stopped casting - and fighting altogether. Both hands were out at his side, right hand clenched as though he was wielding a dagger, left hand positioned as though he had a spell ready, but they were both empty. Needless to say, this made things... interesting for me.

I noticed that the only cure for this seemed to be going through a load zone.

Any way to avoid this situation?