Exercise, Flares and Prednisone

[foxz71]

I have a two part question for anyone that may know. I appreciate any discussion on the matter or references to articles.

I have MS. I am experiencing a flare according to the Neuro...I am still new to all of this and these are the symptoms I've had as long as I can remember.

I just started a course of Prednisone treatment. (1st day) When i found out about my MS, I started riding my stationary bike and walking despite the ungodly pain because I have read that exercise and diet play a crucial role in the course of the disease. Nowhere did I read whether doing the exercise through the pain was a good idea or not. Could I be doing more harm than good? or is the old notion of "no pain no gain" still a good theory?

Second part of my question...will the prednisone alleviate all of this pain? or is it possible this is a symptom I am stuck with? it just never seems to let up completely. In places it does but only to hit me somewhere else. Last week it was my left leg, this week its my right arm and shoulder, sometimes its my hands or feet. The pain feels like massive explosions going off on my body at times and at times it is just a dull ache that settles in for the day. There are other symptoms too but the pain is the one that is hardest to deal with. Any insight would be appreciated.

Thanks
Kim

[SNOOPY]

Steroids are used for acute exacerbations (flare-up, attack, relapse). Steroids may help shorten an exacerbation but does not change the outcome of the disease. Not all exacerbations require steroids.

Information about exacerbations:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/abo...ons/index.aspx

Steroids should not be used for symptom management, there are symptom management medications.

I don't know what your current relapse entails but if you are only dealing with pain then your neuro should have considered trying one of many meds used for pain management.

Will the prednisone alleviate the pain you are dealing with? Possibly but it might only be a temporary solution.

These two URLs have to do with pain and MS:

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/abo...ain/index.aspx

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/liv...ain/index.aspx

Exercise can be helpful for many of us with MS. However, you have MS and you need to approach exercise slowly and not overdo. If exercise is causing you more pain your body is trying to tell you something...listen.

When not used to doing exercises some pain can be expected since you are using muscles that have not been used recently. It might be helpful to get an evalution from a Physical Therapist (PT) who can help in getting you (safely) started with exercise.

The saying "no pain, no gain" is no longer accepted as true even for those who do not have any health problems.

Exercise and MS:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/liv...ise/index.aspx

[foxz71]

Thank you for the information.

My relapse includes several symptoms; pain, balance issues, vision blurring, numbness and tingling.

I was under the impression that many of these symptoms are caused by inflammation around the affected nerve. (perhaps I misunderstood?) and the steroids help reduce that inflammation?

I am on a lot of medications and prefer not to be put on any pain killers or anything else if it can be controlled by things like diet and exercise and perhaps a temporary aid like a steroid. I also use meditation but that is chat for another thread.

By no pain no gain I meant to say that I could sit on the sidelines and do nothing and hope it goes away or i could attempt to be proactive and possibly change the course of things. I wondered if anyone had read any literature on the subject.

You're right, one solution i hadn't thought of was enlisting the help of a physical therapist to get started. Thank you again for all the info and the suggestion.
Kim

[SNOOPY]

Steroids do not "fix" symptoms but reduce inflammation. Steroids help "calm down" an exacerbation but residual symptoms and symptoms that come and go are quite normal.

Steroids will not fix balance problems, PT might be able to help. Numbness and tingling are sensory symptoms and steroids, if they help, are sometimes only temporary.

Depending on the severity of an exacerbation steroids can be necessary. However, it is possible for exacerbations to resolve or "calm down" without the use of steroids...for some people.

The downside to steroids are the possible long term side effects ( cataracts, cushing disease, glaucoma, diabetes, bone thinning).

Something else to consider when choosing to use steroids: the more they are used the less effective they become.

Exercise: doing nothing is never a good approach, doing what your body is capable of doing is a better way to think. Some people can only do very limited exercise, others can do more.

Pain: Medications for MS pain does not necessarily mean narcotics, in fact narcotics is not the first line of MS pain treatment.

[rosepetals]

Barre exercises work great at helping strengthen your muscles and are no impact. They don't make you sweat either. I love them. You can see them on youtube. They sell them on amazon and other sites.

They help me to develop the muscles I need to walk better. They helped me more than any other workout I have done ever. They help balance and flexiblity also !!!

I do them even when I flare. I just do shorter ones. There are many different ones to choose from.