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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;In the past, many descriptions of Parkinson\u2019s disease didn\u2019t mention pain as being a significant symptom, the standard explanations usually focusing on the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/the-many-symptoms-of-parkinsons-disease-2612036&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;motor aspects of the disease&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;. Of course, these definitions are not incorrect but this disease challenges us in many ways and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.designingacure.com/blog/files/6d00f61aaa339bfab6a4ee95cabc1cc1-19.html&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot; rel=&amp;quot;nofollow&amp;quot;&amp;gt;dealing with pain&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, is no exception. \u00A0And it is one issue that often significantly affects the quality of life, which is something none of us want to lose\u2026it is much too important and unfortunately very often, difficult to maintain.\u00A0 Yet we continue to pursue it, committed to remaining as active and productive for as long as this disease allows.\u00A0&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Pain, in fact, is a frequent complaint in PD.\u00A0 It is estimated that 35 \u2013 80% of Parkinson\u2019s patients experience significant discomfort.\u00A0 This statistic represents quite a wide variability due to difficulty in studying something as subjective as pain \u2013 lack of standardized definitions and consistent assessment tools being real challenges.\u00A0 Regardless of its prevalence, by restricting mobility, interfering with sleep and affecting mood among other issues, pain in Parkinson\u2019s can interfere with an individual\u2019s daily functioning and life.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Most of the time, discomfort in muscles and joints is secondary to the motor features of Parkinson\u2019s - lack of spontaneous movement, rigidity, and abnormalities of posture \u2013what is known as &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;musculoskeletal pain&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;.\u00A0 The most commonly painful sites are the back, legs, and shoulders and it is usually more predominate of the side more affected by parkinsonism.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;But there are many other categories of pain associated with Parkinson\u2019s disease.\u00A0 &amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Radicular or neuropathic pain&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt; is experienced as numbness or tingling, or a sensation of coolness in a part of the body, usually secondary to a pinched nerve because of something like a slipped disc or in some Parkinson\u2019s patients is due to the strong and prolonged muscle spasm that can occur.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;\u00A0&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Dystonia \u2013 related pain&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt; occurs as its name suggests, at times of &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/dystonia-vs-dyskinesia-2612238&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;dystonia&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; (prolonged, painful contraction of a muscle) most often experienced in the foot, neck or face and arm at different points in the dosing schedule, particularly the \u201Coff\u201D phase when there is not enough dopamine replacement but can uncommonly also occur at peak-dose times. It can be one of the most painful symptoms those with Parkinson\u2019s can face.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Akathitic pain&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt; is experienced as restlessness, a subjective inner urge to move, an inability to stay still and the inherent feelings of discomfort that it brings. \u00A0It is primarily experienced in the lower limbs and can often be relieved by walking around.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;Primary or central pain &amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;in Parkinson\u2019s is a direct consequence of the disease itself and is not due to secondary causes.\u00A0 It can be described as a painful, burning, stabbing, aching, itching or tingling occurring in undefined areas of the body.\u00A0 This type of pain can be quite relentless and distressing.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Most often it is a combination of many different causes (multifactorial) but regardless of the type of pain, its presence can adversely affect health-related quality of life measures and in some people can even overshadow the motor symptoms of the disease.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;And the fact is that even though it has a significant detrimental effect on quality of life, pain in Parkinson\u2019s is often undertreated.\u00A0 Diagnosing the source of pain in Parkinson\u2019s disease can be difficult and is often a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning that all other possible non-PD related causes are ruled out first.\u00A0 But once diagnosed and classified, management can be directed towards treating the potential cause or at least relieving some of the debilitating symptoms.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;There are &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/becoming-educated-about-your-parkinsons-is-key-2612121&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;interventions &amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;that you can implement in order to alleviate some of the discomfort along with a number of medication adjustments or additions that your physician can attempt that may also be of some benefit.\u00A0 Pain in Parkinson\u2019s disease is a real and serious phenomenon.\u00A0 Minimizing the amount of pain that you experience is a necessity and a worthwhile focus for you and members of your health team.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;strong&amp;gt;References Used:&amp;lt;/strong&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Ford, Blair, MD. &amp;amp;#34;Pain in Parkinson&amp;amp;#39;s Disease.&amp;amp;#34; Weblog post. &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Parkinson&amp;amp;#39;s Disease Foundation&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;. N.p., Winter 2005. Web.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Olanow, C. W., MD, F. Stocchi, MD, and Anthony E. Lang, MD. &amp;amp;#34;Pain and Paresthesia in Parkinson&amp;amp;#39;s Disease.&amp;amp;#34; &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Parkinson&amp;amp;#39;s Disease: Non-motor and Non-dopaminergic Features&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. 315-32. Print.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sorbo, Francesca Del, MD, and Alberto Albanese, MD. &amp;amp;#34;Clinical Management of Pain and Fatigue in Parkinson&amp;amp;#39;s Disease.&amp;amp;#34; &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;Parkinsonism &amp;amp;amp; Related Disorders&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; 18 (2012): S233-236. Web.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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