This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

fee001 wrote:So telling someone to pull themselves together and calm and stop stressing, is a silly thing to say, as NOT as easy as that.

Yeah, I've had my share of people saying variations on this to me. Oh yeah, that's not a problem, I'll just go to my happy place and completely ignore the day to day realities of raising two grandchildren (with all of the extended issues connected to that, including their mom's status that has them living with us in the first place), quit my job so that I don't have that particular stress, and just flick away all worries about what the f* is going on with my body and all the frustration from having a body that cannot do what I need it to do any more and leaves me in pain by the end of most days. That's why even though I don't have a diagnosis yet, I'm very glad to find this community if for no other reasons than to see some of the things I'm going through validated.

i HAD very bad lower back pain, couldnt stand still for more than 10 minutes. i know my very first Upper Cervical Care adjustment i couldnt believe it, lower back pain GONE.

i think ucc is your answer

Buela wrote:Yet another question to add to this list: Is pushing yourself to exercise, even if it seems to make you even more tired or more in pain in the short run, generally going to help more than it hurts in the long run? If not, how do you know when to push yourself, and when to force yourself to chill and take it easy?

The reason I ask is that I desperately miss exercising regularly -- the kind where after an hour I'm a stinky sweatball with nothing else to give, but my stress is down and I feel a great sense of accomplishment. I haven't pushed myself to that place for quite a while, and I'm also bummed to know that it will require far less to get myself to that "can't do any more" spot than it ever has before. But I just don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing to do that. Any thoughts? Even better, any studies?

(fyi, I'm a total science geek and while I absolutely cherish hearing people's opinions and personal experiences about what worked for them personally, I also really like scientifically sound studies when they're available.)

Hi buela,

I post regularly ad nauseum about exercise, because I'm positive it's given me immense benefit over the years. I've had trouble searching for threads for you on my home computer, but pulled a couple up at work this last week that had links to studies in them.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-d ... c2951.html
http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-d ... c8472.html

In my next post I'll address your question about sciatic pain.

Buela wrote: My first question is, can MS be responsible for SI joint pain, sciatica, and low back pain? If so, are those treated any differently than they are for a person who does not have MS? Nothing has responded significantly to traditional therapies (PT, exercises, meds, adaptations) and in fact it's gotten worse' starting as what felt like tightness/discomfort in my SI joint, then pain in the SI joint area, then pain down my leg (sciatica), than low back pain on both sides.

I totally don't want to presume that I have MS but if I can figure out a way to address this pain by taking the approach that is rooted in MS, that will dramatically improve my overall quality of life. FYI my leg on that side has been weak, "heavy,"' tingly, and in pain from very tight muscles/tendons since just before this all started, about a year ago.

Part 2 of a 2-part post:
Hi again, Buela,

I'm so sorry that you're having so many painful problems with no real answers! I've been able to adapt to and alleviate innumerable MS weirdnesses and difficulties, but I am not good with pain at all.

I did want to mention that, even if you ultimately are diagnosed with MS, it does NOT mean that your nerve pain is necessarily caused by MS. In my case, my peripheral nerves are demyelinating like my central nervous system (HNPP), and I'm currently dealing with a sciatic nerve entrapment (as noted by a Physical Therapist) in my totally non-MS leg, causing burning pain right down through the sciatic nerve on the outside of my right calf - only when I walk distances. The positional nature is another reason that it's unlikely to be some sort of MS brain lesion or even HNPP - the damn thing is being squeezed somehow when I move it certain ways.

I was told it's probably piriformis syndrome (see Wikipedia for a quick definition).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piriformis_syndrome I guess that my MS gait could definitely be contributing to it, but I doubt that MS could be a direct cause of it. And here's what NINDS says about it:
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/piri ... ndrome.htm

Also, you should check this link about HNPP that shows a great pic of the many peripheral nerves in the body, as opposed to the small amount of nerves that make up the central nervous system. And don't forget that there are approximately a gazillion other medical conditions that can cause damage to all those peripheral nerves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hereditary ... sure_palsy

My mantra: It's not always MS...it's not always MS...it's not always MS...it's not always MS...

Good luck!