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Study examines MS patients who restrict activity due to fall concerns



While falls in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) are a main health concern, the percentage of those who restrict their activity because of concerns about falling (CAF) is unknown.

A study in the March 2012 issue of Physical Therapy estimates the percentage of people who have MS and report falling, CAF, and activity restrictions related to CAF; examines associations of these factors with fall status; and explores associations of fall status with mobility functions and number of accumulated impairments.

Patricia Noritake Matsuda, PT, PhD, DPT, from the division of physical therapy in the department of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle, led the cross-sectional survey. A total of 575 community-dwelling people with MS provided information, including sociodemographics, falls, CAF, activity restrictions related to CAF, mobility function, and accumulated impairments. The researchers used chi-square statistics to explore associations among these factors. ...Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1693

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The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre

Squiffy's House of Fun - Laughter for Multiple Sclerosis

Oh cool! Now they've created a term for an attitude called "concerns about falling" and even come up with an official acronym for it - CAF. Now I can add it to the important sounding list I report at my doctor's appointments - starting today! I have a morning appointment with a new doc, and then an afternoon PT session to work on gait & balance issues, and what my PT evaluation noted was a decent risk for falls (wonder if I can call that RFF?). So that means I can call CAF an official medical diagnosis, right?

I've always said that I was feeling fabulous until the day I got diagnosed with the BIG acronym (MS), hit the internet, and found out that every single twitch, twinge & tremor had an official scary name and accompanying acronym. I already get to report that I have MS, HNPP, HBP, DJD, RLS, DES, and now CAF! Not to mention the cool sounding other stuff I have like (self diagnosed, but a real condition) Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria (common hives) and the strange phenomenon I dubbed "Recurrent Osteosciatic Spasmodic Psychoneurotic Twisty Nerve Syndrome." (for that one, see here: general-discussion-f1/topic13112.html )

Healthy good morning wishes to all, and keep laughing!

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Dx'd with MS & HNPP (hereditary peripheral neuropathy) 7/03 but must have had MS for 30 yrs before that. I've never taken meds for MS or MS symptoms except 1 yr experiment on LDN. (I found diet, exercise, sleep, humor, music help me the most.)