b'Symptom ManagementMMyytthhssaannddFFaaccttssaabboouuttMMSSaannddPPaaiinnSSppaassttiicciittyy,,ssppaassmmss,,nneeuurrooppaatthhyy,,aannddnneeuurraallggiiaassaarreeaallllssoouurrcceessooffMMSSppaaiinnBy Dr. Ben ThrowerDolor. Its the Latin word for pain. MedicalMS upsets that normal balance and results in students learn the Latin terms for many medicalboth spasticity and spasms. Spasticity is the symptoms. During my training, medicalstate of continuous increased muscle tone, students were also sometimes taught that MSwhile spasms are sudden waves of increased was not directly associated with pain. This ismuscle tone. Either can result in discomfort. one of the great myths of MS. Lets take a lookRecognizingthesignsandsymptomsof at some of the ways that MS can be directlyspasticity and spasms is the rst step in dealing linked to pain. As we look at MS and pain,with them.please remember that having MS does notA stepwise approach to treating spasticity mean you cannot also have other healthand spasms is typically employed. We start with issues. There is a tendency for the medicalremovinganynoxiousstimulithatmight community to want to blame all symptomsprovoke spasms. This could be an awkward in a person living with MS on their MS. Thisseating situation, a poorly tted brace, or a canbejustasfrustrating(andpotentiallyUTI. Stretching and rehabilitation is the next dangerous) as ignoring some of the hiddenstep and should never be overlooked.symptoms of MS. Finally, we come to oral medications such SSppaassttiicciittyyaannddssppaassmmss asbaclofenandtizanidine.Cannabinoids Spasticity and spasms are common with(medical marijuana) may also be useful. For MS and can be painful. Normally, our centralmore difficult situations, we may look at Botox nervoussystemndsabalancebetweeninjections and intrathecal baclofen pumps. A muscles that ex and muscles that extend.coordinated, comprehensive medical team msfocusmagazine.org 10'