An Australian study reveals high rates of chronic pain, linking it to depression, sleep issues and environmental factors.
Australians living with Parkinson’s disease are battling chronic pain at alarming rates, with a new study showing they are nearly three times more likely to suffer the symptom than the general population.
The QIMR Berghofer-led study revealed two-thirds of patients reported persistent pain that disrupted mobility, sleep, independence and emotional wellbeing.
Findings have been published in Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology.
The researchers said the study was the first to measure the prevalence and severity of chronic pain on such a large scale.
Lead author, QIMR Berghofer Associate Professor Miguel Rentería, said chronic pain was under-recognised and undertreated in Parkinson’s.
“We would like our research to have a real impact on people’s lives, and we want to do research that matters to people living with Parkinson’s and one of the most debilitating symptoms that they report is chronic pain,” he said.
“Our hope is that these findings will mean that chronic pain becomes a symptom that is appropriately recognised, monitored and managed in Parkinson’s, to improve the quality of life of people experiencing pain.”
Researchers examined data from 10,631 participants in the Australian Parkinson’s Genetics Study (APGS), supported by the Shake It Up Australia Foundation and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
They found 66.2% of participants experienced chronic pain – far higher than the estimated 23% of men and 30% of women in the general population.
Women were disproportionately affected, with 70.8% reporting pain. The most common sites were the buttocks (35.6%), lower back (25.4%), neck (19.4%) and knees (17.2%).
Chronic pain was strongly linked to depression, sleep disorders and osteoarthritis, and environmental exposures such as pesticides, heavy metals and alcohol were associated with increased pain, particularly in men.
Co-author, neurologist Dr Kishore Kumar, a co-author, said the findings had important clinical implications.
“As clinicians, we are often focused on the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s but we need to make sure we are not neglecting the non-motor symptoms like pain so we can treat that aspect of the disease and improve the lives of patients with Parkinson’s,” Dr Kumar said.
Shake It Up Australia Foundation CEO Vicki Miller said the findings confirmed what many patients had long reported.
“Many people with Parkinson’s suffer in silence. Pain is invisible, but it’s real and this research finally gives us the numbers to back what the community has been saying for years,” she said.
“We are proud to support research that looks beyond the lab to understand what truly affects people’s lives. Studies like this are crucial to driving better support, earlier diagnosis, and more compassionate care.”
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The research represents the first major output from the ongoing APGS, which aims to uncover the genetic basis of Parkinson’s to inform new therapeutic targets and personalised treatments.
Participants completed detailed questionnaires on medical history, lifestyle and symptoms, providing crucial insight into one of the disease’s most debilitating but overlooked symptoms.
The authors emphasised the “urgent need for improved clinical recognition, comprehensive assessment, and tailored management strategies that integrate medical, psychosocial and lifestyle interventions”.
“Importantly, they also stress the value of addressing modifiable risk factors, such as mental health conditions and environmental exposures, in shaping targeted prevention and therapeutic approaches,” they concluded.
“Future research should focus on elucidating the underlying mechanisms driving chronic pain variability in PD and developing evidence-based guidelines to enhance patient quality of life and treatment outcomes.”
Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology, September 2025
