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On Tue 18 Mar, Ronald F. Vetter wrote: > Barbara Duffin-Bates <[log in to unmask]> > <<My husband (56/13) has had severe pain in his arms for > the past year. We have mentioned it over and over > again to all the various health care professionals he > has seen lately and none of them offered any > suggestions. We did try a series of physiotherapy > sessions which did not help. > > We have always felt that the cause of the pain was his > dyskensia (in which he clenches his fists and twists > his arms for hours on end, and has for years). I can > understand why this would cause stress and wear and > possibly pain. But is there nothing that can be done?>>>> > > I am wondering if less or lessor amount per dose of levodopa has been > tried. If regular carbidopa/levodopa medication is taken, is it taken > every two hours or so? > > When do these hours on end of dyskinesia occur? Could you post the > medication schedule being used - to aid in our speculations? > > > > -- > ron 1936, dz PD 1984 Ridgecrest, California > Ronald F. Vetter <[log in to unmask]> > http://www.ridgecrest.ca.us/~rfvetter > > Hello Barbara. It seems to me that one possibility for your husband's pain is a trapped nerve condition, caused by collapse of the natural support which normally separates the two halves ofa joint. For example, I suffer from collapsed discs in the upper part of my spine, probably due to the constant tension put on the joint by various muscles which I cannot control properly, thanks to Parkinson's: the collapsed disc allows the vertebrae to move together, causing inflammation at the contact point, and also trapping one of the major nerve highways which run all the way from our neck to shoulder, arm, and hand. Pain can occur at any point along the way, depending on the precise point at which the pressure is applied in the upper spine. The treatment is usually one of the modern anti-inflammatory drugs (I use one called Naprosyn- these are prescribed drugs of course). There are other places where similar symptoms may be produced. The main point is that the cause is quite often a long way from the point where the pain is felt. Regards, -- Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]>