Hi, my mother was just diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This came as a surprise since we took her to see a doctor because she complained of muscle pain and had trouble getting out of the bed in the mornings. We assumed this was connected to her age and thought that the doctor was going to prescribe her some pain killers. But he said she has Parkinson's. I thought that this condition causes people to shake. How does Parkinson's relate with muscle stiffness? Is there a chance that the doctor made a mistake?
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Hi, muscle stiffness is indeed one of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, but it doesn't mean that every person who has hard time getting out of the bed in the mornings has Parkinson's. The diagnosis is made after a period of observation and testing. Muscle stiffness is very common with elderly people, but this doesn't mean that it should be overlooked as a symptom of Parkinson's disease, because if the illness is not treated it could have serious consequences. The stiffness of the muscles in Parkinson's is caused because of the disturbance in the communication between the brain and the muscles. The muscles do not get the information to relax and are in the state of constant contraction. This can cause pain. If you are worried your mother's doctor gave a wrong diagnosis, you should ask for a second opinion. But do it as soon as possible, because it is very important that the treatment of Parkinson's disease starts at the early stages of the disease.
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