Neurology
The neurology team at Main Line Health treats and manages conditions such as migraines, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and more.
Multiple Sclerosis
What is multiple sclerosis?
Multiple sclerosis is a condition that affects the nerves. Each nerve in your body has a thin sleeve of fat, called myelin, covering it. Like the plastic coating on an electrical cable, the myelin sleeve helps protect your nerves so that impulses from your brain can travel all over your body.
With multiple sclerosis, this sleeve breaks down in many different places throughout the body. Scar tissue, called sclerosis, forms in its place. This scar tissue can interrupt the messages that your brain sends to your nerves.
Symptoms of multiple sclerosis
For some people, only a few nerves are affected and symptoms are mild. For others, it can be a severe illness.
The symptoms of multiple sclerosis often start as:
- Eye pain, blurry vision or vision changes
- Changes in your ability to see the colors red and green
- Trouble walking
- Numbness or tingling
Over time, you may notice other changes like:
- Loss of coordination
- Fatigue
- Weakness in your hands, arms or legs
- Stiffness or spasms in your muscles
- Loss of coordination
- Hearing loss
- Tremors or shaking
- Bowel or bladder incontinence
- Dizziness
- Changes in sexual functioning
Many people with multiple sclerosis can also experience mental changes like:
- Depression
- Trouble concentrating
- Memory loss
- Changes in attention span
- Changes in judgment
The symptoms and their severity are different for everyone who has multiple sclerosis. Having multiple sclerosis doesn't mean you'll have all of these symptoms.
Diagnosis and testing for multiple sclerosis
Other health problems can also cause many of the same symptoms as multiple sclerosis, so talk to your doctor if you're concerned about your health. Your doctor may want to do some testing to rule out other conditions. These tests might include:
- Imaging tests, like an MRI
- Blood tests
- Evoked potentials, which are tests that check how quickly your brain sends and responds to signals
- Lumbar puncture, which is a test to check the fluid in your spine for signs of multiple sclerosis
Your doctor will also ask you questions about your symptoms and do a physical exam.
Multiple sclerosis treatment options
While there's not yet a cure for multiple sclerosis, there are many treatments to relieve symptoms and help you stay active and independent. These may include medicines, rehabilitation and assistive devices like a cane or walker.
There are also clinical trials that test new medicines and treatments for multiple sclerosis. If you're interested in joining a clinical trial, talk to your doctor.
Treatments
Physical Therapy
Each inpatient and outpatient physical therapy rehab is individually designed and administered by a licensed physical therapist who consistently guides you from that first visit all the way through recovery.
Speech Therapy
Our multidisciplinary approach to inpatient and outpatient speech therapy rehab includes expert diagnosis and treatment of speech, language, cognitive and swallowing disorders led by master’s-level, licensed and certified speech pathologists.
Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy and sensory integration helps patients who’ve experienced a debilitative injury or illness return to activities of daily living (ADL), such as dressing, eating, writing, shopping, toileting and driving.
Pain Management
Discover how Main Line Health experts serve Philadelphia by treating a wide range of conditions, including back, neck and oncology-related pain.