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In a message dated 8/20/99 1:10:55 PM Central Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: > I guess what I am asking is, I have read several "experts" who say pd isn't painful. Are they correct, and is this caused by past injuries, or can pd be contributing to the daily pain? And can I look forward to more of the same? Most of the pain began when I turned 30. At the ripe old age of 40 now, I am beginning to get just a tad depressed when I think about my health. Tex - There are too many PWP who report pain for it *not* to be a part of PD, no matter what some neuros say. I believe most of the pain is due to the painful muscle cramping of dystonia, which is what you describe so clearly. Have you considered looking into DBS? You're very young, and should be a good candidate. I believe the newest form of DBS targets dystonia as well as most of the other PD symptoms. Dick had an earlier form of DBS - pallidal stimulation - and it helped his dystonia considerably in addition to totally curing his severe tremor. He walked just like you describe, on the side of his foot, with arm curled up behind him. He had quite a bit of pain from it. In his case, though, Sinemet seemed to be the biggest culprit. He couldn't take enough Sinemet to come close to controlling his PD symptoms without getting very dystonic. The other thing that helped Dick was Mirapex, but that was because it allowed him to get more dopamine into his system while using half the dosage of Sinemet. If your dystonia is really due to being "off," then DBS might be even more helpful. If you're at all interested, I could get you information about who to contact at the University of KS Med. Center. I could also put you in touch with a fellow Texan from Dallas who had STN in June at KU Med. Good Luck. Margie