Parkinson's Pain

Parkinson's disease is a disorder affecting the part of the brain that controls muscle movement. The disease starts slowly and may only show a slight tremor in the hand at first. Gradually as the disease progresses, symptoms will become more noticeable. There is no cure for Parkinson's, but treatments to control symptoms are available.

Causes

• A lack of a chemical called dopamine in the brain is the primary cause of Parkinson's disease. Brain cells that produce dopamine die or become damaged, and the cause of this is unknown. There is a theory that environmental toxins or genetic mutations are the cause of cells dying, but no scientific proof is available to confirm this suspicion.

Early Symptoms

• Symptoms may be mild at first and include a slight tremor in the hand, impaired balance or walking, slight stooping, slowed movements, quieter speech and a loss of small hand movements.

Advanced Symptoms

• As the disease progresses, symptoms become more pronounced and may include a rigidness in the muscles starting with the legs. This stiffness can be painful and may become more severe as time goes on. Shaking or tremors will be noticed in the feet, head, lips and tongue and may become worse when stressed or tired. Your face may become expressionless and you will have difficulty in walking, talking, blinking or chewing food. Other symptoms that may accompany Parkinson's disease are anxiety, depression, confusion, memory loss and dementia. Parkinson's pain also comes from losing one's ability to control your own body.

Diagnosis

• Parkinson's can be hard to diagnose in its early stages and will depend on your medical history and a neurological examination. Your doctor will have you perform hand tasks and evaluate your coordination and walking. Diagnosis will be confirmed if you suffer from two or more symptoms, including tremor, rigid muscles, slowing of motion, symptoms starting on one side of your body and a more pronounced tremor when your hand is at rest.

Treatment

• Levodopa is a Parkinson's drug taken orally that passes into the brain and changes to dopamine. As the disease progress, levodopa will become less effective. Dopamine agonists are drugs that mimic dopamine in the brain. Both medications carry side effects such as hallucinations and delusions. Surgery may be recommended for people with advanced Parkinson's or those who cannot find relief with Parkinson's medications. Surgery called deep brain stimulation involves implanting an electrode into the area of the brain that controls movement. A pacemaker-like device called a pulse generator is placed in your upper chest just under the skin and relays the amount of stimulation to your brain.

  Most people will respond to medications, and how much and for how long symptoms will be relieved will vary from person to person.