Strengthening Exercises Or Stretching May Be Helpful
Imagine that the spine is like a telephone pole or the mast of a sailboat. If the pole is not exactly upright, even a slight tilt requires a great force to keep it from tilting further and falling. In the human body, this means that the lower back muscles are under great stress. It also means that the tension on the back bones is much increased as well. This worsens whatever problems, like arthritis, that are already present. The same process applies to the neck, although the forces are less great. Strengthening exercises or stretching may be helpful. Almost everyone over the age of 60 has arthritis in their spine. Luckily most dont have pain from it, but those who do will have it worsened by the spine curvature caused by the PD.
PD patients also frequently have an aching discomfort in their muscles, particularly in the thighs and shoulders. I think this is due to the rigidity, or stiffness, that is part of the Parkinsons Disease syndrome, but Ive seen many patients with this pain and no apparent stiffness on examination, hence not explained. It is common and it often, but not always, responds to alterations of the usual Parkinsons Disease medications for movement. Exercise and stretching may be helpful as well and should always be tried first before increasing medications.
Pain is a challenge in PD. We cant measure it and often cannot find its cause. It is, however, often treatable, and reducing pain improves quality of life.
Cognitive And Psychiatric Symptoms
- depression and anxiety
- mild cognitive impairment slight memory problems and problems with activities that require planning and organisation
- dementia a group of symptoms, including more severe memory problems, personality changes, seeing things that are not there and believing things that are not true
How Exercise Can Help
Research shows that regular exercise has significant benefits for Parkinsons patients. Since the disease affects flexibility, strength, and balance, patients are encouraged to use targeted exercise routines to manage the disease.
A study review published in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicinefound that exercise improves overall physical performance in Parkinsons patients. The authors concluded that future research should examine the long-term effects of exercise programs.
As a rock climber, I spend a lot of time pulling on jagged edges. Ive learned that its important to balance muscle growth with the opposite action. Ive integrated pushing into my routine to balance the pulling that I do on a rock wall. Focusing on both pushing and pulling helps my body to stay balanced and prevents injuries.
While I havent yet encountered a rock climber with Parkinsons, the same premise could apply. If Parkinsons causes constant muscle contractions, how can we encourage those muscles to extend and relax? Yoga emphasizes both strength and flexibility. And its possible to practice a routine at home. Starting a yoga practice might offer a solution to managing muscular changes.
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Opening The Medicine Box In The Mind: The Psychology Of Pain
In this 50-minute lecture, Beth Darnall, PhD explains how our experience of pain goes beyond the physical sensation of pain. It has emotional and psychological components that affect our ability to treat pain. She cites research to demonstrate that and shares 13 specific tips to reduce the experience of pain and increase treatment effectiveness. Audience questions follow the lecture.
Tackling Neuropathy Fatigue And Gi Issues In Pd
While its known as a movement disorder, people who live with Parkinsons disease experience many non-movement, or non-motor, symptoms too though not all of them are related to the disease. Peripheral neuropathy, or nervous system damage, fatigue and GI issues are common PD challenges that can also stem from other causes. Working with your doctor to identify the source of your symptoms is key to effective treatment.
This article is based on the Parkinsons Foundation Expert Briefing series Symptom Management: Is it PD, Medication or Aging? Exploring Non-motor Symptoms: Neuropathy, Fatigue, GI Issues presented by Ellen Walter, Nurse Practitioner, Cleveland Clinic, and Steven Swank, Clinical Pharmacist, University of Kansas Medical Center. Both organizations are Parkinsons Foundation Centers of Excellence.
Causes of neuropathy, fatigue and impaired gastrointestinal function during the course of PD can be wide-ranging and include everything from normal aging to medication side effects.
With any health challenge, its recommended to log symptoms. This can help your doctor rule out potential causes. When did symptoms start? Are there any patterns?
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Philip Tindall Says He Tried To Ignore His Parkinsons
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Early symptoms of Parkinsons disease are usually mild and typically occur slowly and do not interfere with daily activities. You may experience signs in your feet and toes. Men aged 50 to 89 are 1.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinsons than women, according to Parkinsons UK charity.
Symptoms of Parkinsons disease and the rate of decline vary widely from person to person.
Common symptoms include muscle twisting, spasms or cramps, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
It adds: You may experience a painful cramp in your foot or curled and clenched toes.
The most common symptoms also include a tremor. Shaking tends to begin in your hands and arms, though it can also occur in your jaw or foot.
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The health site adds that people may also experience slowness of movement, rigid muscles and stiff limbs.
Rigidity is the inability of your muscles to relax normally.You may experience aches or pains in the affected muscles and your range of motion may be limited.
Some people will also find that they are unsteady when they walk.
Other signs include depression and anxiety, as well as memory issues.
Pain Is An Unfortunately Common Problem In Parkinsons Disease
Of course, pain is common in the general population, especially among older people. A recent American study found that pain affected about twice as many people with Parkinsons Disease than those of the same age and gender without PD. About 50% of Parkinsons Disease patients in that study suffered from painful disorders. Men and women seem to be about equally affected. A very well described scenario is the patient who is followed for a painful frozen shoulder for a year or so before a tremor develops leading to a diagnosis of PD. Pain clearly plays a major role in quality of life. Everyone with chronic pain enjoys life less, leading to a vicious cycle in which pain causes depression or isolation which in turn leads to more pain.
Parkinson patients suffer from the same pain problems that other people have, often amplified by the motor dysfunction, but they also have additional pain problems which are unique to PD.
One recent review classified the types of pain Parkinsons Disease patients have into: musculoskeletal, in which the pain results from problems with the muscles , bones or joints dystonic, which is due to abnormal muscle contractions caused by the Parkinsons Disease or the medications used to treat it radicular pain, which is feels like the pain caused by pinched nerves central pain, which is presumed due to abnormalities in the brain, and is a continuously present pain that cannot be explained otherwise and discomfort related to an unpleasant urge to move.
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How Is Pain Treated For People With Parkinsons
No matter the cause, pain is often complex. When a person with Parkinsons experiences intense pain, especially in combination with other symptoms of Parkinsons, managing it can be challenging. There are, however, several ways you can adjust your medication regimen, exercise schedule, and lifestyle to reduce your pain and improve your quality of life.
Medications
There are various kinds of medications used to treat pain, especially for people with Parkinsons. In a recent webinar, Dr. Janis Miyasaki described how physicians approach pharmacological treatment of pain for people with Parkinsons:
The principle is to start with what is called the pain ladder. You always start with the least intensive, least side effect-giving treatment.Janis Miyasaki, MD
Step one
The first step of the pain ladder is hot and cold treatments along with stretching and flexibility exercises. People who experience rigidity and stiffness can sometimes alleviate pain using heating pads to loosen their muscles, then improve mobility by stretching, then address any residual pain with ice packs.
Step two
Other medical interventions
Potential Pathogenic Mechanisms Of Peripheral Neuropathy In Idiopathic Parkinsons Disease Patients
The studies to date have been descriptive and associative in nature only. The precise pathogenic mechanisms for the development of peripheral neuropathy in IPD patients remain speculative. Before considering the mechanisms by which methylmalonic acid and/or homocysteine may be pathogenic, other considerations require discussion.
As mentioned, considerations for genetic influences are important. The potential implications of parkin mutations given the expression of parkin mRNA in peripheral nerve may be of importance, but only a small percentage of IPD patients with parkin mutations appear to have an axonal form of peripheral neuropathy . The relationship of concurrent peripheral neuropathy to the so called Parkinsons Plus forms of disease, such as with multiple system atrophy must also be considered patients with multiple system atrophy frequently have an axonal peripheral neuropathy present . Associations such as this may suggest a neurodegenerative pathogenesis for peripheral neuropathy rather than a deficiency. Indeed, patients with greater severity and longer duration of IPD were more susceptible to development of peripheral neuropathy in our studies as well . Further studies will be required to determine if the peripheral neuropathy present in IPD patients develops in an analagous fashion to the central nervous system neurodegeneration in IPD.
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Philip Tindall Says He ‘tried To Ignore’ His Parkinson’s
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Early symptoms of Parkinsons disease are usually mild and typically occur slowly and do not interfere with daily activities. You may experience signs in your feet and toes. Men aged 50 to 89 are 1.4 times more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinsons than women, according to Parkinsons UK charity.
Symptoms of Parkinsons disease and the rate of decline vary widely from person to person.
Common symptoms include muscle twisting, spasms or cramps, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
It adds: You may experience a painful cramp in your foot or curled and clenched toes.
The most common symptoms also include a tremor. Shaking tends to begin in your hands and arms, though it can also occur in your jaw or foot.
READ MORE: High cholesterol: Five signs in your legs you must address at the earliest opportunity
The health site adds that people may also experience slowness of movement, rigid muscles and stiff limbs.
Rigidity is the inability of your muscles to relax normally.You may experience aches or pains in the affected muscles and your range of motion may be limited.
Some people will also find that they are unsteady when they walk.
Other signs include depression and anxiety, as well as memory issues.
Foot Cramps And Spasms
Foot cramps or spasms can occur suddenly and with no known cause. Some common theories as to why they occur include abnormal levels of minerals or electrolytes in the body, dehydration, kidney disease, thyroid disorders, certain medicines, and brain disorders such as Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis and dystonia. Muscle fatigue in the feet, numbness and tingling, twitching, rapid motions and tightening of the muscles are all common symptoms and can range in severity. Most cramps or spasms are temporary and will go away on their own with rest, stretching and hydrating. If these episodes continue to occur frequently, then a doctor should be contacted to test for a possible disorder or deficiency.
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Treatment Depends On Properly Identifying The Type
If pain is bilateral always assume it is central pain pain due to PD. In my experience Azilect works great for this type of pain. Other medications which can be employed for this pain as well.
Massage therapy works for all types of leg pain-my favorite therapy but can be costly. Water therapy may also work for all types except central pain. Physical therapy can alleviate dystonia pain, as well as musculoskeletal and radicular pain.
If pain is due to dystonia related to levodopa intake, find out when it occursend of dose or at peak dose. Typically adjusting medication doses will resolve problem. However, if dystonia is an initial symptom of PD, initiating treatment with levodopa will resolve. If medication adjustment does not work well for levodopa induced dystonia, another treatment option is DBS . Pain due to dystonia independent of cause can also respond well to Botox injections, as well as centrally acting muscle relaxants. To avoid and alleviate pain caused by stiff muscles, a great treatment option is activity in the form of stretching exercisesany number of activities will do such as tai-chi or yoga. For me when I start having radicular pain shooting down my leg it is time to up my levodopa dosage.
If you are having leg pain make sure to discuss it with your physician.
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Early Warning Signs Of Parkinsons Disease
ByJeremy Parker | Submitted On December 03, 2006
Parkinsons disease develops when the neurons of the substantia nigra in the brain become progressively damaged and depleted. However the first signs of Parkinsons disease are not obvious until about 80% of these neurons, that are responsible for the production a neurotransmitter called dopamine which helps to control muscle movement, are damaged beyond repair. Thus the early symptoms are actually only seen for the first time quite late on in the disease.
Fortunately there are a number of signs that point towards the development of the disease and so watching out for these can have positive effects on diagnosing Parkinsons disease as early as possible.
For example:
The signs and symptoms of Parkinsons disease can also be attributed to other illnesses such as stress and absolute exhaustion so many sufferers dont visit the doctor until such a time as they realise the symptoms are not getting any better, which can be months down the line. Contrary to popular belief, Parkinsons disease is not age specific and although it is most commonly seen in the older generation there is a growing number of cases that develop earlier on in life, thus if you have any of the signs mentioned above and are in the least bit worried then a trip to your local doctor is advised, even if it is only to put your mind at rest.
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Numbness Or Tingling In Your Hands Could Be Early Signs Of Ms
Amber OBrien, MD, a doctor at Mango Clinic, says numbness and tingling in your hands are some of the earliest signs that appear in MS. The severity of the numbness and tingling can vary greatly. A tingling in the hand may sometimes be a niggling inconvenience, or it might make holding things difficult or very painful, the MS Society says.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these symptoms are the result of the immune system attacking the protective coverings on nerves, which leads to communication problems between your brain and other parts of your body.
Management Of Pain In Parkinsons Disease
Issue title: Special Issue: Clinical management of Parkinsons disease: Essentials and new developments
Guest editors: Bastiaan R. Bloem and Patrik Brundin
Article type: Review Article
Authors: Buhmann, Carstena* | Kassubek, Janb | Jost, Wolfgang H.c
Affiliations: Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany | Department of Neurology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany | Parkinson-Klinik Ortenau, Wolfach, Germany
Correspondence: Correspondence to: Prof. Dr. Carsten Buhmann, Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. Tel.: +49 40 7410 52771 Fax: +49 40 7410 45780 E-mail: .
Keywords: Parkinsons disease, pain, therapy, analgetics, pathophysiology, non-motor symptoms
DOI: 10.3233/JPD-202069
Journal: Journal of Parkinsons Disease, vol. 10, no. s1, pp. S37-S48, 2020
Abstract
Seated Option: Fingers Between Toes
*Cant get into the figure-4 position or reach your feet? Check out the Yoga Toes a helpful toe-stretching tool.
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How Is It Treated And Is There A Cure
For now, Parkinsons disease is not curable, but there are multiple ways to manage its symptoms. The treatments can also vary from person to person, depending on their specific symptoms and how well certain treatments work. Medications are the primary way to treat this condition.
A secondary treatment option is a surgery to implant a device that will deliver a mild electrical current to part of your brain . There are also some experimental options, such as stem cell-based treatments, but their availability often varies, and many aren’t an option for people with Parkinsons disease.
How To Deal With The 6 Common Causes Of Leg Pain In Pd
Severe leg pain is a common complaint from people with PD. Lately, it is understood that central pain is common to Parkinsons disease, and can even be the first sign of PD, usually bilaterally. This blog post lists six causes of lower limb pain, and the importance of treating it. Treatments depend on properly identifying the source of pain. Some treatment suggestions are included.
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