Help with balance issues from multiple sclerosis
 

Hi everyone,

One of my dear friends has MS for about 12 years. Thankfully she has no pain now.

Does anyone here have any suggestions about how she can improve her balance ? My friend is open to medications as well as alternative therapies.

I thank you all in advance for your help.

Not sure about medications for treating balance, but is her balance issues from dizziness, weakness or just feels off balance? If it's dizziness, she might find some relief from motion sickness pills, they help me when my brain decides to flip flop around.

If it's due to muscle weakness, core exercises and some strengthening exercises would likely help, I would strongly suggest going through a few PT appts to ensure she's targeting the proper muscles to focus on posture and center of balance.

If however her balance issues stem from kind of a disconnect in the nerves that simply doesn't allow her to "feel" balanced, one trick I found is standing on one leg while bouncing and catching a tennis ball with the opposite hand. You can start off propped against something, but it seems to 'trick' the body back to its natural balance. There's various other balance related activities that can be done. An OT or PT should be able to help her out, but even just a quick net search will give her some ideas. Of course if she has the money for it, the Wii fit is tons of fun and has many balance related games.

Best of luck, hope she finds a way of coping with it.

Sometimes balance problems can be related to a vitamin B12 deficiency. In my own case, I was losing my balance frequently and having walking issues from a spinal demyelination condition. When a blood test showed I was also low in B12, I began to take oral methylcobalamin daily. My balance problems became much better after supplementing for about a month, but my walking problems remain.

Many have had success with improving walking using Ampyra. Have your friend ask her neuro about it.

Also Balance uses vision and pirouetting ballet dancers (and those who spin around) know to focus eyes on a stationary point. I concentrate and use physical memory and fixing my eyes on a stationary point when transferring from chair to toilet, bed, etc. Relying only on vision can be bad.

I know of two women with MS who started going to the pool to swim. They were doing it for the exercise but an unexpected bonus was a significant improvement in their balance. One was in her seventies, the other in her forties.

C

Thank you all so kindly for your suggestions for my friend.

She is seeing her neuro this week and I will call her and tell her what each of you recommended to try .


I hope all of you have a good day and feel well....

Yes, Audrey beat me to it!;)

Balance problems may be due to low B12. Your friend may even have methylation problems (MTHFR mutation), and need both methylcobalamin and methylfolate. This can be tested for or just assumed and the methyl versions used anyway -- if there is improvement quickly, that would suggest this genetic error.
23andme does the testing OTC for $99.

Standing up with the eyes closed, and falling backwards, is called the Romberg's sign. It often is present when B12 is low.

You can buy methylcobalamin now at Costco and Walgreen's and most online places. It is slowly replacing the cyano form in supplements. It is inexpensive and only pennies a day. The old cyano form requires 4 steps to be activated in the body in order to work, and this may fail. Take any oral B12 always on an empty stomach for best absorption.

This is my B12 thread:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread85103.html

i don't know about meds but the exercise suggestions are good.

i mostly use a cane for balance issues and a gait problem.
sometimes i also use a rolator. yes, it's a walker but it sure does help my balance. i can also walk a lot faster with the walker.

she might also ask her dr for a PT evaluation. it might be invaluable to be evaluated and have the experts offer suggestions.

Hello mrsD, in your post you mentioned the MTHFR mutation and methylfolate. I have a few questions, but I don’t want to hijack this thread, so I will post them as a new thread.

Thanks so much for the expertise you bring to this board!