The Topographical, Sensory, and Temporal Characteristics of Pain in Parkinson's Disease: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND

Pain in Parkinson's disease (PD) manifests clinically in a variety of ways and several pain types have been identified, however, their characteristics have not been extensively studied.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the characteristics of common pain types in people with PD.

METHODS

A survey of people with PD that experience pain symptoms was conducted. Participants were recruited using a combination of sampling methods. The survey questions focused on collecting information about the topographical, sensory, and temporal characteristics of pain. Descriptive statistics were used to report results.

RESULTS

Two hundred and sixteen participants were included in the data analyses. A median of 5 (interquartile range [IQR] 4-7) pain types were experienced by participants. Pain was commonly localized in the lower limbs but often affected several different body segments. Acute attacks of pain were characteristic for many participants in most pain types and were typically frequent (two to six times per week or more) and prolonged (minutes to hours). Periods of pain accentuation were most likely to occur in the morning, evening, and night and appear to be associated with PD medication pharmacology and a variety of exacerbating and ameliorating factors. Fluctuations in pain were found to range from mild to severe in all pain types.

CONCLUSIONS

This study makes a valuable contribution to the existing literature by providing the most detailed assessment of the topographical, sensory, and temporal characteristics of common PD pain types to date that may be used to guide clinical diagnosis and treatment.