Proper Testing Shows The Bigger Picture
Even if you have symptoms associated with MS, you may not have MS. You’ll need to confirm the diagnosis.
“No single MS test exists, so the diagnosis can be delayed, incorrect or even missed altogether,” Shoemaker says. “An MS diagnosis really requires the synthesis of lots of different types of information by experts who know what to look for and how to put the pieces together.”
That’s why he recommends seeing a neurologist, who can ensure that the appropriate testing is done to get a complete and accurate picture.
This usually includes having an MRI of the brain and spine, which can reveal changes in the central nervous system that indicate MS.
“You need to have an experienced radiologist or experienced clinician, or both, to interpret the MRIs,” Shoemaker explains. “And the images can’t be viewed in isolation. They need to be put in the context of the clinical picture of the patient in front of you. So while the MRI may be somewhat able to predict MS, if the clinical history or the clinical exam is not really supportive of that, then it’s kind of inappropriate to make a diagnosis.”
Lesions are, however, a strong predictor of the disease. According to a 2014 report in Neurology, the risk for developing MS is generally 60 to 80 percent when lesions show up in an MRI. If none are found on the scan, then the risk lowers to 20 percent.
Shoemaker adds that in certain instances, more in-depth vision testing is needed.
Ms Joint Pain Management
According to the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America, about 50 percent of people identify pain as a major symptom after being diagnosed with MS, and about 48 percent of people report experiencing chronic pain.
While everyone with MS experiences pain differently, there are some general remedies, therapies, and medications that can be used to find what is right for you.
Some everyday methods you can use to improve symptoms of joint and muscle pain include:
- light exercise
- positive lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking and managing your weight
In addition, many people do well with physical therapy to help manage stiffness, balance, spasticity, and spasms. A physical therapist can help pinpoint problems with weak or tight muscles that can lead to joint pain in MS.
The physical therapist can teach you stretching and strengthening exercises that will improve the joint pain. A physical therapist can also evaluate gait problems and even recommend modifications that will help you walk better and put less stress on your joints.
Home And Alternative Remedies
For neuropathic pain, Freeman recommends trying warm compresses or heated pads, used on a daily basis. Some people also benefit from pressure socks or gloves. These devices can trick the brain to make sense of the pain as warmth or pressure instead, she says.
In addition to stretching, good nutrition may help prevent cramps, says Freeman. This means staying hydrated and eating foods rich in potassium and magnesium like bananas and leafy greens since an imbalance of these minerals can result in painful cramps.
Some people with spasticity or musculoskeletal pain find massage therapy helpful. In fact, a study published in December 2016 in the International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork found that in a small group of people with MS, massage therapy once a week for six weeks led to a reduction in self-reported fatigue, pain, and spasticity.
Cross notes that some of her patients have tried acupuncture, particularly for pain thats hard to control, like neuropathic pain. And some of them feel its been helpful.
Another promising approach, says Freeman, is mindfulness or meditation. By focusing your brain on something other than your pain, she says, you may actually reduce pain signals in your brain.
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Leg And Hip Pain Associated With Multiple Sclerosis: Types Of Pain And How To Alleviate And Prevent Them
Multiple sclerosis can cause two major types of pain in the hips and legs. The musculoskeletal pain can affect the entire body, but the hips and legs seem to be affected most often. Chronic neurogenic pain is the most common type of pain in multiple sclerosis patients and typically occurs in the legs.
How Can I Manage Pain Myself
There is plenty you can try to see if it helps. Everyone is different so you may need to try a range of different options before you find what works best for you. You may need to do several at once for the best effect. Some people prefer these approaches to drug treatments as there is less worry about side effects.
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Pinched Nerve In The Neck
A pinched nerve in the neck is also called cervical radiculopathy. It means that a nerve in the neck, at a point where it branches off from the spinal cord, is being compressed by the surrounding bones, muscles, or other tissues.
It can be caused by a traumatic injury, such as from sports or an automobile accident, especially if the injury results in a herniated disk. It may also arise from the normal wear and tear of aging.
Symptoms include sharp, burning pain with numbness and tingling from the neck to the shoulder, as well as weakness and numbness into the arm and hand.
Diagnosis is made through patient history, physical examination, and simple neurological tests to check the reflexes. Imaging such as x-ray, CT scan, or MRI may be done, as well as electromyography to measure nerve impulses in the muscles.
A pinched nerve in the neck often improves with simply a few days or weeks of rest. Physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and steroid injections into the spine can all be very helpful.
Rarity: Common
Top Symptoms: pain in one shoulder, spontaneous shoulder pain, pain that radiates down arm, pain in the back of the neck, severe shoulder pain
Urgency: Primary care doctor
Treating Chronic Pain In Multiple Sclerosis
Depending on the cause of your pain, stretching, Botox, or even dietary changes may help.
Masterfile Alamy Stocksy
For many people who have multiple sclerosis , living with the condition often means experiencing a certain amount of pain. This pain can take many forms, some of them short-lived.
In many cases, though, MS-related pain is chronic and will never disappear entirely. But that doesnt mean it cant be treated and effectively managed. Here are some of the different types of chronic pain caused by multiple sclerosis, along with treatments that may help reduce your symptoms.
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It’s Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disorder that affects the brain and spinal cord. It’s most often diagnosed in people between the ages 20 and 50, and is more common in women than men. This is the story of Stephanie Cartin, the co-CEO of the social media and influencer marketing agency Socialfly, who found out she had MS at age 26.
Treatments For Musculoskeletal Pain
Musculoskeletal pain may be helped by common pain relieving drugs such as paracetamol, ibuprofen or aspirin. If the pain is due to muscle stiffness , then treatments for spasticity may be offered.
A physiotherapist can identify any changes in your posture or walking that may be causing pain. They can also advise you on exercises to strengthen certain muscle groups and so keep you flexible and mobile and reduce your pain. If you have difficulty moving, a friend, family member or carer may be able to gently help you stretch.
If the pain has arisen as a result of poor posture when sitting or standing, a physiotherapist will help you to correct that posture and relieve the strain on the painful joints or soft tissues. A referral to the wheelchair clinic may also be helpful to be assessed for devices, like shaped cushions or T-rolls, to use in your chair to improve posture.
An occupational therapist can suggest equipment that might help you at home or work, or when getting out and about. OTs may also suggest lifestyle changes to make things easier for you and help relieve your pain. Making several small changes can add up to a large improvement in managing your pain.
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Physical And Occupational Therapy
Rehabilitative therapies, such as physical therapy and occupational therapy, are important for anyone with MS not just those who have back pain. These therapies will help keep you as flexible, mobile, and active as possible. They can also teach you how to conserve your energy and move your body more efficiently.
A physical therapist can teach you exercises to help relieve some of your MS-related symptoms. They may teach you how to stretch tight muscles to alleviate your back pain. They may also recommend gait training to help you learn how to walk more easily.
An occupational therapist can teach you how to adapt your home, work, and lifestyle to meet your changing needs. They can teach you how to integrate adaptive aids into your daily habits and environments, as well as how to use them correctly. This may prevent back pain thats related to muscle strain or poor posture.
Factors That May Make Back Pain Worse
As a person who has a chronic disabling condition, you have an increased risk of suffering from anxiety and depression. These conditions cause your muscles to become tense which worsens pain.
Many people who have MS feel isolated. You may feel like you are a burden to others at times. This can worsen feelings of depression and pain.
You may be very sensitive to changes in temperature. This is due to changes within your body which are a direct result of MS. Your back pain may be worse when the weather is hot or humid.
MS can make your skin may experience pain differently than other people. For example, fabric from a shirt or tight clothing may cause a sensation of pain.
If you are ill with an infection or are not sleeping well, your ability to tolerate pain may diminish temporarily.
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They Said It Looked Like Multiple Sclerosis And That I Needed To See A Neurologist
I had heard of MS, but I didnt really know much about it. So of course I did the one thing you should never do I went to Google. I looked at all these forums and was like, Oh my god this is the end of the world. But its not. And it wasnt.
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disorder that affects the nerve cells in your brain and your spinal cord. There are so many different symptoms because it varies depending on where the lesions are located and external factors, such as exposure to heat and stress. MS symptoms can include fatigue, tingling and numbness, problems with speech, muscles, and coordination, as well as sensitivity to heat and vision problems. No two people are going to have the exact same symptoms, and the symptoms can flare and subside, so it depends on what is going on in your body and your life.
It can sometimes take years to get a diagnosis, so I was lucky that I didnt go to 15 doctors to figure out what was wrong. After I thought about it, I might have had it even sooner. In the couple years before the diagnosis, I had had pain in my hands and some tingling, and was tired all the time things you dont even realize could be an actual problem. But I want to emphasize that a lot of people have neck pain and its not usually MS. The average person in the US has a 0.1% chance of developing this disease, about 1 in 750, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Adjust Your Movements And Posture
Chronic pain and other MS symptoms can make lying or sitting down for long periods preferable, if not necessary. However, it is beneficial to move around as regularly as you can. If you are seated, you may want to try adjusting your sitting position every so often or taking a break to get up and move. If you have difficulty with movement, a loved one may be able to help you practice gentle stretching exercises.
Adjusting your posture can have a big impact on pain especially back and neck pain. If you are seated, try placing a small cushion or a rolled-up towel behind your lower back to help keep the spine in the proper position. Using a device called a standing frame to help support upright standing can also help improve posture and reduce strain on the muscles and ligaments.
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Things To Know About Spinal Stenosis
1. BasicsSpinal stenosis is when the spaces in the spine narrow and cause pressure on the nerves and spinal cord. Majority of cases of spinal stenosis occur in the lower back. There are many different causes and symptoms of this health condition. This causes a restriction in the spinal canal resulting in neurological deficit.
2. Types There are two different types of spinal stenosis: lumbar and cervical. Lumbar is when the nerve roots in the lower back become compressed. This often causes symptoms of sciatica. Cervical spinal stenosis is when the spine is affected near the neck, which is much more dangerous and causes severe symptoms.
3. SymptomsSpinal stenosis symptoms can be very painful and confused with other issues. Common symptoms include weakness, pain in the arm or hand, numbness in the legs, discomfort when standing, unexplained weight loss, pain when you lying down, fever, and structural deformities.
4. TreatmentSome of the non surgical treatment options are pain medications, a good exercise regimen, weight loss to stop progression, and epidural steroid injections. Surgical options are interlaminar implant, which is when a U shaped device is placed in the lower back. Cervical discectomy is also an option, which is surgical decompression of the nerves.
Coping With And Preventing Chronic Neurogenic Leg And Hip Pain
Multiple sclerosis patients often struggle with endurance so sufficient amounts of cardiovascular exercise can be difficult to obtain. It is important that they perform cardiovascular exercise as often as possible. Even walking on a treadmill for ten minutes, two to three times a day will help greatly in reducing their pain and the causes of their pain. It is especially important to stretch regularly and thoroughly to help alleviate flexor spasms. Strength training is also important and can help to decrease spasticity. All exercise can help to alleviate leg and hip pain and soreness as well as help to alleviate the cause.
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Proposed Classification For Pain In Multiple Sclerosis
In 2008, OConnor and colleagues published a useful review that also proposed a classification for pain in multiple sclerosis, as we are doing. With respect to theirs, our classification is more based on pathophysiological mechanisms and response to treatment, and most notably differs in our introduction of the mixed pain category.
How Nerve Damage Can Impact Organs
And because the brain sends messages to the sexual organs through the spinal cord and vice versa, Dr. Scherz says damage anywhere along that path may cause sexual problems, including difficulty getting aroused, reduced sensation and trouble achieving orgasm.
Lesions in the parts of the brain responsible for coordinationoften lead to balance and coordination problems, which tend to begin in the legs and move to other parts of the body as the disease progresses. Muscle spasticity and weakness, stemming from fatigue or other symptoms, may also be to blame.
People with MS may have difficulty walking, and in advanced stages, need a cane or wheelchair or to be bedridden, Dr. Scherz says.
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Treating Spine Pain Caused By Multiple Sclerosis
by Paul Salinas | Oct 17, 2015 | Conditions |
Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is a chronic disease that damages the nervous system. While healthy individuals have a protective coating of a material known as myelin surrounding the nerves, those who suffer from MS have exposed nerves. MS breaks down the layer of myelin and leaves patients with unprotected nerves that do not work as well as they should. As a result, patients may experience a number of uncomfortable symptoms, including spine pain. Back pain treatment offered by our multidisciplinary team can relieve some of this pain and provide a greater degree of comfort for our patients. To undergo treatment for spine pain and MS at our Frisco practice, contact us today. Our team will do all they can to effectively treat this pain.
The Brain And Spinal Cord: Where Symptoms Typically Start
Lesions in the brain may affect cognitive abilities. Some people with MS have trouble with memory, attention and concentration, multitasking and decision-making, says Dr. Scherz. The changes are usually mild at the beginning, but can be frustrating as time goes by.
MS may also cause emotional changes, such as decreased tolerance for stress and worsening anxiety and depression, either due to nerve fiber damage or simply the burden of dealing with the disease.
Vision changes are often one of the first MS symptoms. It’s common that MS starts with an attack in the optic nerve, which sends visual information from the eye to the brain, Dr. Scherz says. This happens because the optic nerve is close to the brain, and the myelin in the eye and brain is similar, she explains. People may experience blurred vision, double vision, eye pain or loss of color vision.
Difficulty articulating words or swallowing and slurred speech may occur if theres damage to the area that controls the mouth and throat. MS may lead to a loss of sensation in whatever area of the body corresponds with the damaged area of the brain or spinal cord, Dr. Scherz says. This can cause numbness or a tingling sensationfor instance, in the fingers or toes. The feeling usually comes and goes, and can be mild or severe.
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