People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have chronic lower body pain show distinct changes in how they walk, including significantly slower gait speed, than those without pain, a study reports. Those with chronic lower body pain also took fewer and shorter steps, had longer step durations, and had…

A 14-week regimen of physical therapy combined with PoNS — a neurostimulator device used to improve mobility — led to significant gait improvements in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), with evidence that its benefits are sustained over time, according to new data from the real-world PoNSTEP clinical study.

Most people take for granted the feeling of stability while standing on their feet. My invisible multiple sclerosis (MS) symptom is unsteady gait, one of my biggest struggles, but you likely wouldn’t know it just by looking at me. My unsteady gait is associated with the effect that…

If I were a superhero (or a supervillain, for that matter), I’d have an origin story. As it stands, I’m not even a minor hero in real life, and only a mediocre one when appearing in my own stories. I’m just a guy with multiple sclerosis, and all I…

Will your doctor approve you to buy medical marijuana (MMJ)? Two of mine will and one won’t. The doctor who won’t, a primary care physician who works within a medical group, told me it’s the group’s policy. The problem, she explained, is that there are no guidelines. How do you…

Immersive virtual reality may make treadmill exercise more engaging and effective for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions that can make walking difficult, according to new research. The findings were published in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, in the study “Immersive virtual reality…

A machine learning-based method that examines walking abnormalities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) could help identify patients who are at high risk of worsening symptoms, a study suggests. The study, “Predicting Multiple Sclerosis from Gait Dynamics Using an Instrumented Treadmill – A Machine Learning Approach,”…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the use of a medical device called Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator or PoNS as a short-term treatment for walking difficulties in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). PoNS, developed by Helius Medical Technologies, is a non-invasive medical device…

Helius Medical Technologies has filed an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking for de novo classification and clearance of its portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS) device for the treatment of walking deficits in multiple…

Music is a spiritual experience. I love music in all of its forms. I grew up being serenaded by parents harmonizing everything from the Phi Gam fight song to Peter, Paul and Mary. After crucifying the clarinet, I played the piano until my late teens. I have fond memories of…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough device designation to Helius Medical Technologies’ portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS) for the treatment of walking impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The device, which is meant to be used…

The neurotechnology company Helius Medical Technologies has received authorization from Health Canada to market its portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS) device to treat gait deficit in patients with mild-to-moderate multiple sclerosis…

Urinary incontinence,  associated with poor functioning of the muscles in the pelvic area, was found to have a negative impact on daily activities like walking and overall quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study shows. Adding pelvic floor muscle training to an MS…

Since being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) 20 years ago, Kathy Miska’s ability to walk has steadily worsened, especially in recent years. As a participant of a pilot study at the Cleveland Clinic Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis, however, she is cheered by the effect of…

FeetMe, a medical device company dedicated to the development of devices and digital health services to improve patients’ mobility, has raised €9.4 million ($10.25 million) in Series A funding to boost the commercialization of its innovative technology for clinical trials and regular clinical practice in hospitals and…

Awareness of certain symptoms, particularly gait disorders and depression, could be critical for reducing the time it takes to diagnose multiple sclerosis after a patient first contacts a healthcare provider, research shows. In the past 30 years, there has been a major decrease in the time from the…

Multiple Sclerosis News Today brought you daily coverage of key findings, treatment developments, and clinical trials related to multiple sclerosis (MS) throughout 2018. We look forward to reporting more news to patients, family members, and caregivers dealing with MS during 2019. Here are the top 10 most-read articles of…

Lipoic acid (LA), an over-the-counter antioxidant supplement, helps to mildly delay a decline in walking speed in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients, particularly those with lesser disability, analysis of a small, two-year clinical study reports. No improvements were seen in balance among…

Pairing wearable sensors with a computer program enables effective monitoring of the way multiple sclerosis (MS) patients walk in “real life,” potentially helping clinicians to better evaluate treatments and judge disability, a small U.K. study reports. The research, “Free-living and laboratory gait characteristics in patients with multiple…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently cleared the myBioness mobile app, designed by Bioness, to be used with the L300 Go System to improve muscle strength in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions that affect walking. The L300 Go System is approved to help…

Gait and balance issues and MS go together like peanut butter and chocolate. At least they do to me. In one way or another, they’ve been in the foreground of my life since I was diagnosed in 2013.

Difficulties with walking and balance are common among people with multiple sclerosis and strongly affect their quality of life — even when disease progression may not be evident on scans or other measures of MS advance, according to research presented at a meeting last fall and recently reviewed by the National…

(Editor’s note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the MS alphabet with this first of two columns about terms starting with the letter “G.”) When it comes to multiple sclerosis, mastering an understanding of the disease means you need to…

Riding and other activities with horses can help adults and children with the balance, gait, and psychomotor disorders that are hallmarks of multiple sclerosis, according to review of 16 studies. The review, “Therapeutic Effects of Horseback Riding Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” was published in the …

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the use of Bioness’ L300 Go System electrical-stimulation rehabilitation device for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and others with walking impairment. It is the first electrical stimulation device to offer 3D motion detection of gait and muscle activation, the company says. The L300…

According to new research out of McGill University in Montreal, Microsoft Kinect, a 3-D depth and motion sensing input device for use with the company’s Xbox 360 and Xbox One video game consoles and Windows PCs, could be a cheap, effective, and easy-to-use tool to evaluate walking gait difficulties in people with multiple…

There is a greater number of older people with multiple sclerosis than ever before, and the number is likely to continue growing. That combination, of old age with MS, puts people at risk of significantly reduced physical function than those without the disease. This was a key finding of a…

Researchers at Texas Woman’s University identified tai chi as a beneficial therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with impaired balance, as it can improve their endurance and strength and decrease fatigue. The results of the study, “The Benefit of Tai Chi for Balance and Gait in People with…

Understanding and combining decision-making processes of both patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and physical therapists to improve balance and gait — the movement of the lower limbs for locomotion — may help optimize patient outcomes. The findings were recently shown in an oral presentation titled “Understanding Engagement Decisions to Maximize Gait…

Researchers analyzing gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) using wearable inertial sensors have established two new and highly sensitive observer-independent measures of disability that strongly correlate with fatigue and patient-perceived health status. Their article, titled “Disability and Fatigue Can Be Objectively Measured in Multiple Sclerosis,” was published in the journal PLOS…