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Am I experiencing symptoms of Parkinson's disease?

A fellow caregiver asked...

My mom has Parkinson's disease and I am scared that me my brother or sister could get it? My brother and I both shake like a tremor but don't think much of it because we don't think we could get it. But all the time my whole left leg will go numb and it makes it hard to move and it gets to the point to where it hurts then i cant feel it. Could this be a sign of it?

Expert Answer

Graham A. Glass, MD, is the co-founder of PEAK Neurology and Sleep Medicine, LLC with multiple locations across Alaska. Previously, he was deputy director of the San Francisco Parkinson's Disease Research, Education, and Clinical Care Center PADRECC and assistant clinical professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Glass received his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at the San Antonio School of Medicine and completed his neurology residency at Tufts-New England Medical Center. He subsequently completed a fellowship in movement disorders at the Mayo Clinic.

The genetics of Parkinson's disease are not as well understood as we would like. Although you may be at a slightly higher risk of developing PD, as far as we know, fewer than 7-8 percent of cases of parkinson's disease are "monogenetic". Although I would refer you to a neurologist or a movement disorders specialist to fully evaluate your symptoms, leg numbness is not a typical early sign of Parkinson's disease.