People who are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis may experience two types of multiple sclerosis atrophy – brain atrophy and muscle atrophy. MS atrophy occurs due to demyelination in the brain and nerves and also because of disuse of certain muscles. When a person is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, treatment will be started to avoid atrophy. While multiple sclerosis currently has no cure, there are ways to help slow down the process of the disease, including the process of atrophy. Both traditional treatments and alternative treatments are used. This can include a combination of things like prescription medications, exercise, diet changes, and more.
Both brain and muscle atrophy can be seen on an MRI, so medical professionals may run tests to see how much atrophy has been done in the body. Then they will start an appropriate treatment plan. They may want to continue testing to see if the atrophy is getting worse over time. If the atrophy is getting worse, the doctors may want to try a different course of medication to see if the results get better.
Different Treatments For MS Atrophy
At this time, there is no way to reverse the atrophy that happens during multiple sclerosis. There is also no way to completely stop the progression of atrophy once it begins. However, there are different treatment options available that can help to slow atrophy and make it more manageable. The treatment will vary depending on the type of atrophy and whether it is brain atrophy or muscle atrophy. Your doctor will decide whether traditional treatment, alternative treatment, or a combination of both is going to be best for your degree of multiple sclerosis atrophy.
One popular treatment to try in the early stages of atrophy is gentle exercise. This can help to prevent more atrophy from occurring. It is important that the exercise is very gentle, so sometimes water exercise is recommended. The exercise can help keep muscles from deteriorating further.
Adding medications are another way to help with atrophy. These can help with symptoms related to atrophy, although there can be some side effects. There is a wide variety of different medications available to try, so if something doesn’t work out the first time, your doctor will likely switch to something else. It can be a trial and error process, so don’t give up and keep looking for something that works for you.
