Woman ignored common Parkinson symptom for decades – and it’s common

Veteran journalist John Stapleton has revealed he’s battling Parkinson’s Disease as another sufferer shared the symptom she ignored for years.

The 78-year-old has graced our TVs for decades, and recently opened up about his health struggles. Parkinson’s is a progressive brain condition that can lead to movement difficulties, mental health problems and other issues.

Now, Esther Labib-Kiyarash – who was diagnosed with the condition in 2023 – confessed she overlooked a common symptom for years before realising something was wrong. The mother, who shares her journey with Parkinson’s on TikTok under the handle @estherlabibkiyara, disclosed what her first ever symptom was, which is more prevalent than people realise.

She revealed the initial symptom she encountered was neck and shoulder pain, including discomfort in her trapezius muscles, which extended up into her neck. Esther admitted she endured this for “decades” before investigating its cause.

Candidly, she said she didn’t think much of it at the time, as many people experience similar discomfort.

In her video, Esther shared: “The year that my Parkinson’s symptoms really took off, which was during the Covid pandemic, the pain in my neck and shoulder became quite intolerable.

“I was constantly thinking and trying different ways to relieve that pain, because it went from being an occasional thing to a constant thing. I remember changing my purse, because I thought maybe it was because I was carrying a heavy purse strap, so I switched to a backpack.

“I got lots of different massagers and creams to put on it because, just in my day-to-day life, I was constantly thinking about the fact that my shoulder and neck were hurting.”

Esther explained she can’t pinpoint the timeframe, as she experienced the pain over so many years. However, she said something definitely happened around a year before her tremor started that increased the pain.

Now she knows this is dystonia – a movement disorder that causes the muscles to contract. This is something that’s really common in people who have Parkinson’s.

Even though people can experience various symptoms with the condition, Esther admitted she’s seen a lot of people endure the same shoulder pain as her. She believes it’s especially common in women.

While many people suffer with shoulder and neck pain, she urged them not to worry, as it can happen with age. But she wants people to be aware of it if they have any concerns about their health.

One person replied: “I was diagnosed in 2019 at 40. Same symptoms. Dystonia pain for many years before any tremors. Then suddenly I got the pinky tremor, and it went downhill from there.”

One individual shared: “Thank you. I had no idea shoulder and neck pain was a sign. Have gotten what I thought was a muscle spasm in my neck – it would draw my neck/chin upwards. I thought it was a cramp. I was diagnosed.”

A third also wrote: “Can confirm. Was diagnosed with Parkinson’s one year ago, and had this pain for years, but my doctor didn’t tell me it’s related.”

The NHS lists the primary symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. They include:

• Tremor shaking – this typically begins in the hand or arm and is more likely to occur when the limb is at rest.
• Slowness of movement (bradykinesia) – where one experiences a considerable slowdown in physical actions, complicating daily routines and potentially leading to a distinct, sluggish shuffle with minuscule steps.
• Muscle stiffness (rigidity) – this feature comprises prevalent muscle stiffness and tension that interferes with motion and facial expressions, with dystonia emerging as another common symptom.