I thought I had a running injury — the reality was so much worse

4 days ago 1

Jessica Krauser with her daughter, Kate, on the beach.

Jessica Krauser first started experiencing symptoms in 2017 (Picture: Cleveland Clinic/SWNS)

When Jessica Krauser first started experiencing stiffness in her leg in 2017, she put it down to the half marathon she’d been training for.

That wasn’t the only symptom she’d been experiencing. While reading at her local church, she struggled to hold the paper in front of her.

In a meeting at work, she again noticed the same hand tremor that had cropped up before.

‘My kids would always notice it and ask if I was nervous or scared, but I wasn’t, and thought it was just stress,’ says Jessica, now 44 and living in Columbus, Ohio. ‘

‘Many nights someone would have to rub my calf muscle because it felt like there was a tight knot that I just couldn’t get out.’

Eventually, she realised she needed to tell someone about it so, during a routine visit to her gynaecologist, she casually mentioned the symptoms and was advised to see a neurologist.

Jessica Krauser with her son, Ben, at a sports game.

Jessica felt a ‘tight knot’ in her leg (Picture: Cleveland Clinic/SWNS)

At the same time, she began to find everyday tasks, including typing and cooking, increasingly difficult. One of her feet had started dragging, and the cold would make her shake uncontrollably.

‘I didn’t connect shaking to neurology,’ Jessica says. ‘I was also 35 at that point, and I was thinking “why in the world would I need to see a neurologist?”‘

However, after struggling to sit still at dinner on a family holiday as her body was ‘all over the place’, she did eventually decide to book an appointment with a movement disorder specialist.

Jessica Krauser in a hospital bed, before her first surgery.

The average onset of Parkinson’s is around 60 (Picture: Cleveland Clinic/SWNS)

And two years after her first symptoms began, in 2019, the mum-of-two was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease at just 37 years old.

Being so young, with the average onset of Parkinson’s typically around 60, Jessica found the experience incredibly alienating.

On the diagnosis, she reflects: ‘For me, it was a lonely, hopeless feeling that was just as crippling as the disease can be itself. That’s why finding your community and support system is so important.’

Jessica Krauser in hospital, before her first surgery.

Jessica has started a podcast (Picture: Cleveland Clinic / SWNS)

This wasn’t helped by the fact some of her symptoms — including the stiffness in her leg she’d attributed to exercise — aren’t always visible.

‘My Parkinson’s isn’t always something people can see,’ she says.

‘It was constant and something only I could feel. People tend to think of Parkinson’s as just shaking, but it presents itself in many ways, depending on the person.’

Symptoms of Parkinson's

According to the Parkinson’s UK website, while symptoms can differ from person to person, common ones include:

Tremors Rigidity or stiffness Slowness of movement Sleep problems Pain.

The NHS website includes other physical symptoms, such as:

Problems with balance Changes to sense of smell Problems going to the toilet In men, difficulties sustaining an erection or, in women, difficulty becoming aroused Dizziness and fainting Intense sweating Difficulties with swallowing or overactive production of saliva.

Seven years on from receiving answers, Jessica has found a supportive community through her podcast, The Secret Life of Parkinson’s.

This has seen her meet others who’ve been diagnosed, and the conversations she’s had as part of this platform have led her towards exploring new treatments.

One of these is DBS (Deep Brain Stimulation), which has been likened to a ‘pacemaker for the brain’, with an implanted device delivering electrical currents to the regions responsible for controlling movement.

Jessica Krauser with her husband and children Ben and Kate.

Jessica started receiving new treatment in July 2025 (Picture: Cleveland Clinic/SWNS)

Jessica Krauser, after her first surgery.

She says DBS has improved her symptoms (Picture: Cleveland Clinic/SWNS)

This type of stimulation, which Jessica has been receiving it since July 2025, after she successfully underwent surgery to introduce the gadget, can help shape the brain signals that deliver Parkinson’s symptoms.

As Cleveland Clinic neurosurgeon Richard Rammo explains, most patients are offered DBS when initial medication isn’t proving effective.

He says: ‘Most people with Parkinson’s see initial improvement from medications, but for patients like Jessica, some may go on to develop dyskinesia or notice symptom control becomes less consistent over time.’

@clevelandclinic

After undergoing an innovative treatment for Parkinson’s disease Jessica Krauser says, “I feel like I can just be a mom again.” Diagnosed at 37, deep brain stimulation or DBS is helping her with symptom management. “I knew it was time for something else when I was at dinner with my family on vacation. I couldn’t just sit in the chair and calmly eat my food. My body was all over the place,” says Jessica of Columbus, Ohio. What started as a hand tremor in 2017 eventually led to other symptoms and a diagnosis of young-onset Parkinson’s in 2019. Jessica started medications, and while they would provide relief for a few months, her symptoms kept returning. That’s when she came to us to explore DBS treatment. Described as a pacemaker for the brain, DBS involves implanting a device to deliver electrical currents to specific parts of the brain that control movement. This stimulation helps to modulate the abnormal brain signals that cause Parkinson’s symptoms. “Most people with Parkinson’s see initial improvement from medications, but for patients like Jessica, some may go on to develop dyskinesia or notice symptom control becomes less consistent over time. When medications aren’t as effective, we can look at DBS as a potential treatment option,” says neurosurgeon Dr. Richard Rammo. Once her care team determined she was a candidate, Jessica underwent the surgeries needed for DBS in 2025. Her Parkinson’s symptoms eased after her device was activated and programmed. Jessica has adaptive DBS, which automatically adjusts electrical stimulation delivered to the brain to help manage Parkinson’s symptoms. “If her medications start to wear off, it can sense that and increase the stimulation to better manage her symptoms. It can also reduce stimulation when less is needed, like when she’s sleeping,” says certified nurse practitioner Ellen Walter. While this treatment does not stop Parkinson’s from progressing, Jessica now needs fewer medications, and her symptoms are currently well controlled. “I wake up every morning and don’t have to think about Parkinson’s,” says Jessica. #ParkinsonsAwarenessMonth

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Following the surgery, when Jessica’s device was switched on, doctors scheduled programming sessions to ensure the stimulation given to her hit the right balance.

After her third session, she noticed the biggest difference: her legs no longer felt heavy while she was walking. The tightness and tension that previously kept her from sleeping had disappeared too.

‘I found myself just lying in bed in the morning because it felt so nice not to be stiff anymore,’ Jessica says.

‘Before deep brain stimulation, I was either feeling my symptoms, or I was dyskinetic. Something was always going on, and I was constantly thinking about it.

‘Now, my symptoms are so well controlled, I wake up every morning and don’t have to think about Parkinson’s. I’m able to focus on other things, like my family and friends.’

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