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I frequently get pain in my shoulder and the muscle that runs from my
shoulder to my neck. Whether this is dystonia, rigidity or muscle spasms
I don't know, but it hurts. The most effective treatment I have found is
with a Transcutaneous Electrical Neural Stimulator (TENS). It's a pain
relief device for which you need a prescription. However, it has no side
effects and is more effective than medication at relieving the pain and
the tautness in my muscles especially when I am fatigued.

As with any treatment for PD, effectiveness will vary across the patient
spectrum, but if you are experiencing pain you should be emphatic with
your neurologist and get a presrciption to try the device for 30 days.
Neurologist tend to want to solve everything with a pill and my
experience has been that adjusting medication for effectiveness so that
you never have pain isn't realistic. Even though I am in the early
stages of the disease, medication effectiveness can vary on a daily
basis depending upon how hard I work and the amount of sleep I get. I am
extremely sensitive to dopamine agonist, and I frequently need to trade
off symptoms versus side effects.

TENS isn't for everybody, but it is worth a shot if you are experiencing
pain from muscle tautness.

Phil Gesotti 51/dx46