Every 27 minutes, someone in Australia is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
While most people recognize the condition for its tremors and movement difficulties, fewer realize that many patients also live with another major challenge—constant pain.
Now, new research from the University of South Australia (UniSA) highlights the urgent need for more personalized and compassionate care to help people with Parkinson’s better manage their pain.
More than 65,000 Australians living with Parkinson’s experience persistent pain, yet many struggle to find effective relief.
According to two new UniSA studies published in Parkinson’s Disease and the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, people often turn to trial-and-error methods simply because the support they receive is not tailored to their needs.
The researchers are calling for a more individualized, multidisciplinary approach—one that involves not just doctors, but also nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and other allied health professionals who understand the complexity of Parkinson’s pain.
Lead researcher and UniSA Ph.D. candidate Anthony Mezzini explained that pain is one of the most common and distressing symptoms of Parkinson’s, particularly in the early stages.
“It’s a major reason why people’s quality of life declines,” he said.
“Many of our participants told us they have to experiment with different ways to manage pain—not because they want to, but because they can’t always access expert advice or specialist care.”
The studies found that patients’ experiences with pain care depended heavily on five factors: empathy and understanding from healthcare providers, active listening, clear explanations, Parkinson’s-specific knowledge, and individualized treatment plans.
When these qualities were present, people reported much better outcomes. However, they were often inconsistent across the healthcare system.
Many participants shared that while Parkinson’s nurses and allied health professionals offered excellent support, their experiences with general practitioners and neurologists varied widely. People living in rural and regional areas also faced significant barriers to accessing specialist care.
UniSA researcher and Parkinson’s nurse Dr. Sue Sharrad said improving pain management must begin with expanding access to multidisciplinary teams and providing better training for healthcare professionals.
“Embedding empathetic, individualized care into everyday practice—and increasing the availability of Parkinson’s nurses—could make a real difference,” she said. “Pain isn’t just another symptom. It’s a major factor that shapes how people live day to day. By making care more personal, coordinated, and compassionate, we can help people with Parkinson’s live fuller, more comfortable lives.”
This research is part of UniSA’s broader effort to improve the wellbeing of people living with neurological conditions.
The multidisciplinary team behind the studies includes Anthony Mezzini, Professor Saravana Kumar, Dr. Sue Sharrad, Dr. Joanne Harmon, and Professor Marion Eckert—all working toward one shared goal: helping people with Parkinson’s live better, with less pain and more dignity.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how wheat gluten might be influencing our brain health, and Olive oil: a daily dose for better brain health..
Source: University of South Australia.
