Pain is a significant non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) that researchers are beginning to recognize and investigate. Some studies report that up to 80 percent of people with PD have chronic pain.
Some pain is a symptom of Parkinson's itself, but other forms can be caused by too much medication, including one which is sometimes caused by dyskinesia, the uncontrollable movements often associated with long-term use of dopamine replacement drugs. Dystonia, a severe muscle cramping associated with PD, can also cause pain.
In this podcast, MJFF Contributing Editor Dave Iverson speaks with Julie Pilitsis, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics and professor of neurosurgery at Albany Medical Center.
Dr. Pilitsis speaks to the connection between Parkinson's pain and fatigue, saying, "People in pain can't sleep well, they can't find a comfortable position. People that are fatigued are more sensitive to the pain . . . . When you're tapping your own personal resources because you're fatigued, you're going to feel anything worse."
Hear more about this topic in our next Third Thursdays Webinar: "Parkinson's Pain and Fatigue" on July 21, 2016 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT. Register now.