Your client has multiple sclerosis: understanding the challenge

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that causes muscle weakness or spasticity, balance incoordination, sensory deficit, and fatigue. Any of these effects of MS can increase the risk for orthopaedic injury that places individuals with MS in an orthopaedic care setting. Nurses with an understanding of MS and the effect of MS on the body will be better prepared to educate peers about MS, act as advocates for individuals with MS in the orthopaedic setting, and offer optimum care that addresses the patient's MS as well as the orthopaedic problem. The following discussion addresses MS, its effect on the body, and various approaches to managing the disease, including a brief look at the current disease-modifying agents available to reduce or slow the neurologic damage caused by MS.