How do I tell the difference between my parkinsons and spinal stenosis? Some symptoms are the same.?

How has your spinal stenosis been diagnosed? Cervical? Lumbar? Becaue you are right, there is a commonality of symptoms.

Because Parkinson's disease is a collection of syndromes, not all patients manifest the same symptoms nor the same disease progression as more symptoms may appear or the current symptoms worsen rapidly.

You say that you have weakness in your legs. Parkinson's usually begins unilaterally for some time before the loss of additional dopamine causes it to become bilateral. Have you always had weakness in both legs or is that progression?

In a woman especially, neck and shoulder pain can be common to both conditions.

Bladder control is not usually an early symptom of PD but it can be just as it can progress in spinal stenosis.

I would assume that you are seeing a neurologist specializing in motion disorders who has observed you, taken your symptom history, had various tests performed to rule out other conditions.

Although the two conditions are not related, spinal stenosis is related to osteoarthritis and cervical arthritis which you do have.

Although both condidtions are more commonly seen in people over 50 years of age, Parkinson's disease can begin much earlier and often does.

Both conditions are associated with pain. In PD the pain is often around joints and the shoulder/neck area - In spinal stenosis the pain may be in the lower back and radiate to thighs, Pain relievers rarely help.

Here's the important thing about a differential diagnosis of Parkinson's disease vs Spinal Stenosis, an X-ray and MRI can be used to diagnose Spinal Stenosis but not PD. CAT scans and Myelograms can also be used to detect elements of Spinal Stenosis but are not used in PD because there are no current lab tests in use for Parkinson's.

http://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/spinal-ste...

The list of motion and non-movement symptoms is much longer for Parkinson's disease but again some patients do not demonstrate all of them nor do the manifest all of the four primary PD Symptoms: TRAP

Tremor

Rigidity or stiffening

Akinesia or bradykinesia - slowness of mvement and thought process

Postural Instability

The list includes but is not limited to urinary and sleep issues, depression, anxiety and apathy, personality and mood changes, constipation, ED, vision problem, cognitive issues, loss of arm swing, leg drag, loss of sense of smell, dentition problems, swallowing issues, speech changes, handwriting changes, pain.

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The DBS has been scheduled to help with motor issues and I suspect with pain. You may find that the proper adjustments which usually begin about 2 weeks after surgery may take some time. You will, as you know be working with a psecialist. I suggest putting problems into writing before each appointment.

Best wishes

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its hard to tell! sometimes when you are pregnant you dont even get any symptoms of pms at all. the best way to tell the difference is do a pregnancy test. x