Managing your symptoms
Fatigue
People with a multiple sclerosis (MS) often experience fatigue or a lack of energy.
This can feel different for everyone. For some it may feel like overwhelming tiredness, weakness, exhaustion, or sleepiness. It can often make completing everyday activities very difficult. Because it can’t be seen like a physical difficulty, it can be hard to understand.
The MS Society provide some useful resources to assist with fatigue management.
At Walkergate Park we run a fatigue management course. This is supported by members of the multidisciplinary team and runs for six weeks with a further review appointment.
Dizziness
Dizziness in MS can be common and have knock on effects on your walking.
Some people may experience vertigo, like the world is spinning, whilst others may have problems with eye movements or lose their sense of balance. Most of the time, dizziness will fade on its own however some people may require input from a specialist physiotherapist.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is a common disorder of the balance system for persons with multiple sclerosis.
The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Vestibular Rehabilitation provides a BPPV factsheet on how it occurs and how it can be treated.
Communication
Some people with multiple sclerosis will experience communication problems.
This can be caused by lesions at a certain area of the brain but also weakness to the face, mouth and neck and respiratory system. It is important to recognise that such problems may occur alongside other changes in physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioural functions.
The MS Society have some information on managing speech problems that may be useful to you.
The Regional Communications Aid Service (RCAS) is based at Walkergate Park. The team aims to help people to improve communication in daily life – using their own abilities and new technology to build a better ‘total communication’ system with communication aids.
Memory and thinking skills
“Cognition” refers to memory and thinking. Trouble with memory and thinking can affect people with MS. Our service can assess your difficulties and help you to develop ways to cope with any ongoing difficulties.
The MS Society have some information on cognitive problems that may be useful to you.
Spasticity
Spasticity is a symptom experienced by people who have a neurological condition such as multiple sclerosis.
The message from the brain to the muscles doesn’t work effectively and makes your muscles work too hard and tighten up without you being able to do anything about it. Spasticity takes different forms but the main things you may notice are:
- Tight muscles which pull the fingers of your hand into your palm, bend your elbow when you are trying to walk, bend your knee or make your leg shake
- Some people with spasticity have tight muscles all the time, some only have tight muscles when they try to do an activity
Our service can advise you how best to manage your spasticity. This may be through a stretching programme, splinting and orthotics, exercise, relaxation, fatigue, and pain management. We can also refer you into the spasticity assessment clinic at Walkergate Park.
More information can be found in our Spasticity Assessment Clinic – Information leaflet
Continence
Urinary and bowel incontinence issues may be a side effect of a neurological condition as multiple sclerosis.
This is because the nerves that supply the storage of urine within the bladder and the emptying of the bladder can be affected. Faecal incontinence can also happen if there are disruptions in the signals from the brain to the bowel resulting in weak sphincter muscles. Constipation may result from certain medications or reduced mobility.
More information and useful downloads can be found on the Bladder & Bowel Community.
We have a specialist multiple sclerosis nurse within the team who can assess you and advise on how best to manage or treat your symptoms.
Pain
Pain can result from a multitude of reasons.
This may include weak or tight muscles, muscle imbalance, spasticity, spasms, acute injury such as a fall or broken bone, mood disturbances and reduced sleep. The team will work with you to identify the possible reasons for your symptoms and give appropriate advice. Acupuncture (like medication) is a treatment that may be considered alongside other therapeutic interventions and administered by a trained healthcare professional.
Check out 12 Practical Pain Self-management Tools from the Pain Toolkit.
Balance
You may have problems with your walking, balance and experience trips or falls. A physiotherapist can assess your individual needs and if appropriate refer you into our gait and balance group.
The programme runs for six weeks, and each session consists of an exercise circuit, an education session, and a home exercise programme for self-management.
Functional Electronic Stimulation (FES) Foot Drop Clinic
FES is a treatment that uses small electrical charges to produce muscle activity or a muscle contraction.
It is used to help people with their walking when they have ‘drop foot’. It produces a muscle contraction that helps lift the foot up when walking. It can also be used in rehabilitation and/ or physiotherapy.
For more information please see the FES Clinic – Patient information leaflet
Hydrotherapy
Physiotherapists may use hydrotherapy as part of your treatment programme.
Hydrotherapy means treatment with water (hydro). It involves carrying out treatment in a small pool that is specially heated so that it is warmer than a swimming pool. You can find more on our hydrotherapy information page.
Not all patients are appropriate for hydrotherapy.