To call my medical career a series of random pivots is an understatement. I have multiple sclerosis (MS) to thank for this wandering journey, one with an uncertain destination, but a surprisingly meaningful landing place. Anesthesiology was my first love. I adored tinkering with the anesthesia machine, working with…
Muscle weakness
While subtle symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) — like muscle weakness, fatigue, and numbness or unusual sensations — are often overlooked in individuals with minimal disability, more detailed clinical tools can help detect these early signs, according to a new study from Italy. Moreover, such tools — including wearable…
While a four-month progressive resistance training program improved muscle strength in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) in the Netherlands, it did not significantly change their risk of developing cardiovascular disease, a small study showed. Individual cardiovascular risk factors and 10-year risk estimation tools showed no significant changes…
Exercise effectively reduces fatigue and improves muscular fitness in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), though the optimal exercise type and dose differ for each outcome, according to a meta-analysis of published studies involving more than 3,500 patients. Mind-body exercise, which combines physical movement, mental focus, and controlled breathing, was…
My last column described how multiple sclerosis (MS) affects my feet, so today I’m writing about how it affects my hands. I don’t believe MS has affected my wrists or palms, but my fingers and thumbs aren’t “normal” anymore. My most prominent symptom is loss of sensation,…
Resistance training by middle-aged people with multiple sclerosis (MS) was linked with significant improvements in muscle strength in a recent meta-analysis of previous clinical trial data. The analysis indicated the benefits of such training, which is designed to boost strength and endurance, were more variable in fatigue and quality…
The Neural Sleeve developed by Cionic significantly reduced foot drop, which is a difficulty lifting the foot that often causes people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to drag their toes when they walk. The lightweight bionic garment is cleared in the U.S. to improve mobility in MS. In…
As I’ve mentioned in previous columns, I’m now pursuing a doctorate in educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. Given that work, 99.9% of my day revolves around typing, despite my multiple sclerosis (MS). My journey as a typist began in high school, when I enrolled…
Leigh Anne Nelson wears the jersey of her favorite team, the Kansas City Chiefs. (Photos by Brett Nelson) Day 15 of 31 This is Leigh Anne Nelson’s story: During my first experience with what I believe was an MS-related illness in 1996, I had numbness and loss…
Taking melatonin before bedtime may help balance and muscle strength in people living with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study from Tunisia. Those benefits are in addition to making for more restful sleep. While the findings come from a small number of patients, they suggest melatonin supplements may…
The risk of falling among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) seems to be associated with a combination of personal, environmental, and activity-related factors, according to a large U.S. survey. Personal factors included poor balance, muscle weakness, and fatigue. Surface conditions and distraction made up environmental factors, while work-related factors…
A noninvasive brain stimulation technique called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can significantly improve walking abilities in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a pooled analysis of published studies. The technique was effective when applied to the main brain region called the primary motor cortex, which is involved…
I don’t have a Napoleon complex in the sense of being small. My body still spans 6 feet, though that’s only when I’m lying down; I doubt I get anywhere near 5 feet tall while seated in my wheelchair. Saint Jane (my wife) is 5-foot-2, and I now look…
I am not left-handed! No, I’m not channeling Westley or Inigo from “The Princess Bride,” just clarifying a common — and fair — assumption. While I now do nearly everything left-handed, including eating, drinking, and even typing this column, my right hand was dominant for most of…
I’m worried that my tales of recovery may have gotten a tad boring, so let me liven things up with the weirdest thing I now have to live with. The head of my “thing” has been sliced half an inch vertically. By “thing,” I of course mean my penis! And…
XRHealth‘s virtual reality (VR) software, which provides an immersive three-dimensional environment where patients do repetitive tasks such as popping a balloon with a sword, is safe and feasible for upper limb training among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent pilot study. Participants generally felt engaged…
Electrical stimulation of the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp may ease some measures of spasticity for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to results from a small clinical trial. Using this novel route of brain stimulation was shown to impact muscle contractions in patients with spasticity…
Ten weeks of lower limb fast-velocity concentric resistance training (FVCRT) led to muscle strength gains in both the upper and lower limbs in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. This form of resistance training, which requires muscles to be maximally contracted as quickly as possible…
Three months of once-weekly sessions of high-intensity resistance training — consisting of strength exercises followed by a short recovery between sets — effectively eased fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients experiencing low energy and tiredness, a trial in Sweden shows. This intervention also lessened feelings of depression and anxiety,…
Robotic-assisted gait training (RAGT) may be the most effective form of physical exercise for improving mobility among people with severe multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent review study. Other exercise types, such as conventional walking, treadmill training, and yoga, may also be feasible and effective, however, the researchers…
I’ve just received four intramuscular Botox injections in my right arm to relieve the muscle spasticity that comes with multiple sclerosis. (OK, it wasn’t actually Botox, but Dysport, or abobotulinumtoxinA, another medication derived from the botulinum toxin to block muscle contractions.) And “my right arm is going…
Almost half of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients show reduced bone density (osteopenia) and about 17% have osteoporosis, a progressive disease characterized by weak bones that are prone to fractures, a review study of data covering almost 14,000 patients reported. These findings suggest that people with MS should be monitored…
Exergames — playing video games that involve physical exercise — may be more effective at improving balance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than conventional rehabilitation, a review of current studies suggested. The study, “Efficacy of Virtual Reality and Exergaming in Improving Balance in Patients With…
“Do you need help?” The question came from a 30-something woman after I’d finished loading some cartons into the back of my SUV. I automatically replied, “No thanks, all done.” But lifting and loading isn’t an easy job for me. My upper body strength is good, but my legs are…
The strength of the muscles used to exhale a breath may predict physical ability and disease severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reported. Patients in this study with weaker expiratory muscles were also those with greater physical disability and more severe disease. The study, “Pulmonary…
A numb, weak leg. Yay. Another thing to add to the list of crappy challenges I’ve had to face this year. If you ask me, it’s all been a bit too much, and I’d like to get off this ride and get my money back, please. I recently rang my…
For any younger readers, and by that I’m guessing 45 and under, may I present the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man. He got himself out of scrapes by downing a can of spinach, which supercharged his muscles. There was none of that nonsense of de-stalking raw young leaves…
BioLiberty, a Scottish biotech startup, has developed a robotic glove that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the hand grip in people with muscle weakness due to multiple sclerosis (MS) and other conditions. The technology may be closer to entering people’s homes now that the startup has secured support…
My left hand was numb and weak when I was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. For years after that, symptoms above my waist seemed just as prevalent as those below it. Yet, there were no tests being used that measured my waist-up disability level — nothing equivalent to the…
I’d just gotten out of bed the other morning and was headed to the bathroom using just one cane when I tried to step over a dog toy on the floor. I went down slowly onto the carpet, so it was really no big deal. No harm, no foul, but…