Balance and back pain

Symptoms and treatments
1

This is big one for me, as I have said in other Topics I now have Secondary Progressive MS, diagnosed with that stage earlier this year as previously I was Relapse and Remitting MS since 2007.

With all the medicine I am on and with my next dose of Mavenclad coming up in 4 months. Is there any over the counter medicine I can tak for the pain? The usual stuff doesn’t even make a dent in it. Now the interesting part is? Its not all the time but flares up and only way I can describe the pain is it feels like a burning sensation down at my lower back. Obviously, I will mention it to the MS nurse but just in case is there painkiller you would recommend? I personally try not to take painkillers, not because I am a big hard man but because I don’t want to throw another drug into the cocktail of hospital and gp medicine I am already on.

2

I found acupuncture helped ease back pain and worth trying if you prefer to avoid drugs.
If balance is an issue, then improving core strength can help keep you upright.
Core stability exercises (a pilates type approach) | MS Trust

3

I will look into that, I was doing core strength classes at the gym but found it to hard to keep up with the instructor. Acupuncture is a good shout but how often would I need to attend? Plus I would need to get back into work and it’s not for the lack of trying. The joys of MS

4

I guess the amount of acupuncture sessions needed depend on how bad the problem is, but you could start with a couple of bookings and see how it goes.
The MS Therapy Centres tend to offer the treatment and obviously have experience of treating MSers. Neuro Therapy Network | Oxygen Therapy | Physiotherapy | Complementary Therapies

Also, decent physio should be able to identify the cause of pain and suggest some exercises to help.

5

I mention it only because you’ve not brought it up, but in addition to oral pain killers, I use a little Voltarol gel on my back, pelvis & hips if the pain is concentrated there. Not a miracle cure, but it usually takes the edge off.

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6

Hi,

I was prescribed amitriptyline for what I think was neurological pain, by my GP and before I had an MS diagnosis. Paracetamol, codeine etc. had all failed. Amitriptyline worked.

The only side effect was that it made me sleepy - a plus for me, helped me get sleep at night. I came off it successfully after a couple of months. You do have to taper down the dose very gradually when you come off it, I think, not stop suddenly. The pills are tiny and I still split them further.

GP should be able to tell you if it is safe alongside other meds.

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