Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Options and Strategies Overview

Strategies for treating MS

When faced with an illness or injury, such as an infection or a broken bone, we usually think of going to a doctor and getting medicine or undergoing a procedure that will help us get back to normal again. However, when it comes to a disease like MS, we need to think a little differently when we talk about treatment.

Currently there is no cure or easy fix for MS, so the goal of treatment is to manage the disease and learn to live as fully and as normally as possible. To help you do this, there are a number of effective treatment strategies to help manage relapses, to manage MS symptoms, to alter the disease course, and to take care of your body and mind through rehabilitation and psychosocial support.

For many people with MS, relapses (exacerbations, attacks, or flare-ups) occur despite the use of the best and most proven disease management approaches. Relapses will typically resolve without treatment. However, if the flare-up is severe, medications can be used to help bring it under control and speed recovery.

Because MS relapses involve nerve damage caused by inflammation in the CNS, the goal of treatment is to control the inflammation and to close the leaky blood-brain barrier (BBB) so that the body can begin to heal itself.

Corticosteroids (or steroids) are often given to help control the inflammation causing symptoms during a relapse. There is some disagreement among doctors as to whether corticosteroids should be given by IV (intravenously, by which infusion is delivered directly into a vein) or orally. Most neurologists agree that a course of high-dose corticosteroids is the best treatment for a severe MS relapse.Intravenous methylprednisolone (IVSM) is typically given in 3- or 5-day courses with 1 gram (1000 mg) of steroids infused daily.

A number of medications called disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) or disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) are given either orally or by injection or IV. Disease-modifying treatments have been shown to be effective in decreasing the frequency of relapses or exacerbations and decreasing the development of lesions or plaques in the brain or spinal cord. Some of these medications have also been shown to slow down the rate at which a person with MS becomes disabled. While DMTs are effective in the majority of cases of MS, they have not proven to be effective in cases of primary-progressive MS (PPMS), the disease course that is gradually progressive from the start and doesnt involve relapses or exacerbations.1

Effective symptom management plays a crucial role in treatment of MS, encompassing the range of symptoms that can arise with the disease. Effective symptom managementcontributes to quality of life in a person with MS. Approaches to symptom management include a variety of drug treatments, depending on the nature of symptoms, complementary and alternative therapies, including massage and acupuncture, rehabilitative approaches including physical therapy and occupational therapy, and mental health services.

The rehabilitation plan for a person with MS depends on the nature of that individuals disability or disabilities and may involve the expertise of a broad range of health professionals, including a physiatrist (a health professional who specializes in rehabilitation), a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, or specialists in speech/language and other functional areas commonly affected by MS.

Rehabilitation for the person with MS commonly involves an exercise program or intervention, including appropriate medication, tailored to address the variety of physical challenges and symptoms that can arise with MS, including mobility problems, musculoskeletal problems, difficulties with speech/language, bladder/bowel problems, and problems with vision.

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Multiple Sclerosis Treatment Options and Strategies Overview