My new massage therapist thinks she can stimulate my axons and help me move my dead legs. She's so convinced, she practically begged me to let her try. Anyone try this? I'm really curious about any changes in your MS condition following accupressure treatments.

Hi Cin....it's janet (jazz) from the other board you used to post on a long time ago.

Anyway, I've had acupressure, acupuncture, etc, etc, etc. Acupressure always helped me when I had a bad headache, but no one has ever used it to help my lousy legs.

Do I think it will change things ultimately? Not really. BUT, I don't think it will hurt to try!

What's involved in acupressure, Cindy? Is it needles, or deep massages, or ? Where do they "apply" the treatment?

Cherie

Can't help you with acupressure C, but it is possible to train your brain to use other neural pathways. My mom's neuro talks about focusing on the part you want to move and "talking to it" (this neuro is a hoot!). In PT, I'd work with a woman with dead legs (she had MS) as well as very weak trunk strength. We focused on rolling over If I'd initiate the motion, she could often pick it up once it had been started. By the end of the therapy that day, she could do it herself. Initiating the movement (with your own hands to move the leg) if necessary and then focusing on it/talking to it to finish the movement without assistance really does help to retrain the neural pathways around damaged areas. Won't be perfectly good as new, but it will make things easier.

Yes, Jan, I recognized your smile immediately. I feel the same way but I'm curious if anyone has ever actually noticed results. The poor girl knows nothing about MS and has some pie-in-the-sky healing ideas.

I might just go for some bee stings.

It's based on the points of acupuncture but uses pointed pressure rather than the traditional needles. This gal is a fantastic massage therapist and a big believer in the whole "healing arts/holistic" theme. I'll let her do it for fun and see if I can't get a little placebo effect if nothing else.

I'm absolutely convinced of it, Gretata, I have taught myself to do so many things just out of necessity, it's phenomenal what our minds are capable of doing when we enlist them. I haven't figured out a way to do vertical leg lifting and often resort to the nylon leg lifter.

Ahhhh, accupressure as opposed to accupuncture. I get it. ...Is this anything like Raque(sp)?

Let us know how it works for you, Cindy..

Hi Ya JAZZ!!!!

use the leg lifter to start, but then concentrate on completing the movement without it. You might suck at it at first and think you're not making any progress, but the more you do it, the better you will be able to do it. I can even improve my mom when I work with her and she's got complete and total dead legs. Unfortunately she won't keep up the work when I'm not there.

Cindy
I say try it. Ya never know and if so, teriffic. If not, cross it off the list. The mind is ever so powerful, if we just tap into it. Keep us posted.


I borrowed the book, The MS Recovery Diet from the MSAA last month, but had to return it before finishing it. It was just published in 2007. I never got to the diet part, but there is a whole section on exercise and getting people out of wheelchairs and walking. It's exercises that build on each other like a baby learns to roll over, crawl, stand up, and walk. It so grabbed my attention.

I plan to buy it when funds allow, just to have as a reference. Oh and to finish reading it too.

My sister gets those sessions for her IBS. She feels it has helped her greatly, and she wants me to try it for my various symptoms because her doc has had quite a few MS patients who apparently have greatly benefitted from the acupuncture treatments. I'm thinking about it.......