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Just wondering if any of you have low back pain that does not ease with your Parkinson’s meds. I have had improvement in most all of my symptoms since being diagnosed and starting medication in 2020, but my back pain has gotten progressively worse. Any kind of bending over sends grabbing pain into my low back area. Anti-inflammatory otc meds do not seem to help and I’ve tried a lidocaine patch and physical therapy. I have always been fit an f still walk quite a bit and do yoga every morning religiously. But it’s getting more painful to do the bending and twisting positions. I’m just dealing with it and trying to stay active. I’m curious if anyone else can relate to this.
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Yes! I also have a tremendous amount of low back pain! I definitely think that it helps to stretch and exercise and I have been doing PT for as long as I can remember! It gets so bad that sometimes I feel like someone has a vice around my middle. It is very painful to bend over or to bend down and pick something up!
I have just assumed that it is related to the stiffness of Parkinson’s and i am considering DBS to help with it.-
Thanks for replying. Sometimes I think my symptoms are not the norm, but I do realize this disease can be so different from one individual to the next. I’m curious as to how long you have had symptoms and if your MD has recommended the DBS. I always assumed DBS was mostly done with the goal of eliminating tremors. I thankfully don’t have tremors. I have also wondered if more men than women have tremors. Do you have them? Good luck and thanks again for your response.
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Hi Elise,
Thanks for the info and for sharing your symptoms. It’s exactly what I deal with with regard to pain after sitting or standing too long. I’ve had this on and off even before PD was on my radar and just thought I overdid in exercise class. It would get better and not bother me for a decent while. I am now convinced this was the flicker effect leading up to more frequent symptoms. I also had loss of smell and taste but it would seem to come and go. Anyway, Thanks for relaying and responding. Happy New Year!
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Hi Kim, I really understand what you are saying about wondering if your symptoms are not the norm. The more I learn about Parkinson’s the more I realize it impacts pretty much everything in your body. Apparently low back pain and PD together are common. The stiffness of our trunk muscles doesn’t help and my understanding is that Central Pain changes how the brain feels pain. Also learning about the Vagus nerve was helpful in helping me to feel I wasn’t crazy thinking many of my issues are PD related. Whatever the reason, like you, my lower back causes me a lot of pain particularly when I bend. I still exercise and walk but at times the pain gets worse when I am very active or use weights or stand for a more than 10 minutes. I do notice that just prior to taking my next L/C dose it gets worse. It doesn’t eliminate the pain but it is better after taking the L/C.
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Kim, I would say low back pain is my most consistent discomfort caused by PD. Besides my yoga and stretching which I do every morning, I get on the treadmill for a mile. I bought a recliner that gets my feet up to chest level. I’ve read somewhere that your back should get lower than 45 degrees. I bought a memory foam mattress. Pricy but I moved twice last Spring and Summer and had a lot pain. A sales person gave me a valuable tip. If you sleep on your back, use a firmer mattress, and right then and there I made the decision that I was going to try my best to stay on my back when I went to bed. This has been a major improvement in minimizing my back pain. My current meds dosage is eight tabs C/L and a 4 mg Neupro patch. diagnosed November 1, 2019.
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Totally agree that low back pain often associated with neck pain is a common PD issue. I use stretching and other physical exercise designed to make the spine and joints more mobile. It eases but never eliminates the pain. I have an excellent Physiotherapist. I sleep on a memory foam mattress and have a variety of pillows for differing levels of pain in differing postures. I resort to paracetamol sometimes (avoid ibuprofen!). It is manageable at present. I have no idea how to deal with a worsening except by medication. I guess pragmatism is the way forward. I don’t think this helps to answer the question but at least you know that you are not alone in being a PwPaabb (Person with Parkinson’s and a bad back).
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