Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
How can we help you when you have Mutliple Sclerosis?
Our goal is to help you regain, maintain function, and address all your challenges. Multiple Sclerosis affects people differently, we make sure to conduct our assessment thoroughly and customize the treatment plan according to each individual.
After the assessment, we will address the body’s ability to move and particularly your walking ability, balance, posture and if you feel any pain. We provide a great environment to progress and regain strength. The rehabilitation is not only geared towards exercises but towards education as well.
Our physiotherapists are trained to identify general conditioning and will adjust the therapy if you feel any fatigue during the session. If you use any mobility aids such as wheelchairs, crutches or canes, please feel free to bring them with you as our physiotherapists can help with additional training.
The strengthening part is very important. We want to avoid any muscle weakness from the lack of mobility. Besides physiotherapy, we can also address the speech, motricity and any trauma or emotional condition. Our team consists of various health professionals such as speech therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, naturopathy, and acupuncture as well as chiropractic.
In addition, we also offer an innovative technology with evidence-based approach treatment called the PoNS therapy. It’s a 14-week intense program but the results are astonishing. Feel free to check one of our youtube video of a patient after 5-week treatment only.
What exactly is Multiple Sclerosis?
According to MedicineNet, MS is a condition that has to do with an immunity-propagated process that causes an abnormal reaction with the body’s immune system, resulting in damages to the central nervous system tissues.
The immune system essentially attacks the body’s myelin, which is a substance that covers and insulates nerves fibers. This results in demyelination, which in turn causes nerve damage. Since the accurate pathogen or target of the body’s immunity attacks is unknown, many professionals choose to refer to MS as an “immune-mediated” disease as opposed to an “autoimmune” disease.
What are the signs and symptoms?
The symptoms of multiple sclerosis depend on the location and degree of demyelination in the body. These include:
- 5Visual disturbances
- 5Double vision
- 5Loss of vision
- 5Numbness
- 5Tingling
- 5Dizziness
- 5Mild to severe weakness
- 5Multiple Sclerosis effect
- 5Vertigo
- 5Erectile dysfunction
- 5Impotence
- 5Pregnancy issues
- 5Incontinence
- 5Urinary retention
- 5Muscle spasms
- 5Muscle incoordination
- 5Tremors
- 5Slurring in speech
- 5Fatigue
- 5Paralysis
- 5Painful and uncontrollable muscle contractions
What are the causes and risk factors of Multiple Sclerosis?
As of now, the cause of MS is still not known. There are various theories involving the causes of MS in different people. These hypotheses range from vitamin D deficiency to viral infections. Certain sources also consider excessive salt intake in daily diets as a possible cause.
That said, none of these theories has yet to be proven accurate. What is known is that the disease is not contagious, so there is no fear of passing it on from one person to the other. The risk factors for MS include:
Age
MS commonly affects people aged 15-60
Sex
Women are more prone to develop MS
Family History
Your risk of MS is high if one of your parents or siblings has the condition
Certain Infections
Infectious mononucleosis can result in MS
Smoking
Smokers are more likely to face recurrent MS symptoms than non-smokers
Race
Caucasians, especially of Northern European descent, are at high risk
Climate
MS is more common in areas with temperate climates like Canada, northern US, New Zealand, southeast Australia and Europe
Certain Autoimmune Diseases
These include thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease
Make sure to book an appointment, we offer a free 15 min consultation if you face any of these signs and symptoms so you can get the appropriate treatment.
How do you diagnose MS?
Doctors will collect the relevant patient history and conduct a complete physical examination to look for signs of injury to the brain or spinal cord and see what area is damaged. Imaging studies can confirm an MS diagnosis. The most common test requested is an MRI of the brain and spine. CT scans, though useful in locating certain brain injuries, cannot reveal any changes related to MS in better detail.
A spinal tap, or lumbar puncture, collect cerebrospinal fluid to test it for the presence of protein, inflammatory markers, and other chemicals. This is only performed if the findings of an MRI are not clear enough or do not give anything substantial.
Evoked potential testing can detect slowed response times of the optic nerve, auditory nerve, spinal cord, and brainstem. These aren’t specific for MS diagnosis though. In the case of MS possibility, blood tests are done to rule out other conditions like Lyme disease, vasculitis, lupus, and HIV.
You can get the right physical therapy treatment programs by scheduling an appointment with Pillars of Wellness to get yourself back on track! We are conveniently located in Burlington, Aldershot.
Additional Physiotherapy Services
Conditions We Treat
Neuro Physiotherapy
Orthopedic Rehabilitation
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy