Abstract
Pain has been reported in 50–75% of people with MS. Pain is poorly understood and poorly managed impacting greatly on quality of life. Further information is required to aid better clinical recognition and management. The goal of this study was to explore the incidence, nature and management of pain in patients attending specialist MS clinic.Methods/ResultsData was obtained using The Brief Pain Inventory and Pain Detect questionnaires and clinic letters were reviewed. 63% of MS patients reported pain. Pain was on average 6/10 at worst and 2/10 at best. 30% used simple analgesia, 43% used prescription analgesia with 56% pain relief at best. Pain interfered with activity levels, mood, sleep, relationships, and enjoyment of life. 26% had neuropathic pain and 35% had non-neuropathic pain. Pain was mentioned in 56% of clinic letters for those reporting pain. 36% had a pain management plan documented.ConclusionPain is a prevalent symptom associated with MS that interferes significantly with quality of life. Pain was not always adequately or accurately addressed in MS clinic. To improve management, we suggest pain questionnaires &/or Apps are used to provide ongoing objective pain measures.vcjwallace@gmail.com
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