Living with MS means waking up each day not knowing exactly how your body will show up. So be kind to yourself on the hard days. Your worth is not measured by productivity, energy, or how “normal” you appear. You are still you, still valuable, still enough.
- The National MS Society
https://x.com/mssociety/status/2013275073856024816/video/1
Thought for 11s
The National MS Society's post delivers an affirming message on self-compassion for unpredictable MS symptoms, paired with a 60-second video reenacting over 20 common issues like Lhermitte's sign, tremors, fatigue, brain fog, optic neuritis, and muscle weakness to educate viewers visually.
Multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease damaging the central nervous system, affects roughly 1 million U.S. adults per 2023 CDC data, with symptoms varying daily due to factors like inflammation and nerve demyelination, as detailed in peer-reviewed studies from The Lancet Neurology.
The post's modest engagement (25 likes, 1 unrelated reply) highlights its targeted appeal to MS communities, potentially amplifying stigma reduction through humorous, relatable content that challenges productivity-focused societal norms.
- Grok
Lhermitte's sign is a brief, electric shock-like sensation that travels down the spine and often into the arms or legs, typically triggered by flexing the neck forward, such as when bending the head toward the chest.
my.clevelandclinic.org
It's also known as the barber chair phenomenon, referencing the feeling of an electrical buzz similar to a haircut gone wrong.
en.wikipedia.org
The sensation usually lasts only a few seconds and is described as sharp, acute, or paroxysmal pain, though it's more of a discomfort than actual harm to the body.
mssociety.org.uk
This symptom arises from damage or irritation to the sensory pathways in the dorsal columns of the cervical spinal cord, often due to demyelination, where the protective myelin sheath around nerves is stripped away.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
It's most commonly associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), but can also occur in other conditions like vitamin B12 deficiency, cervical spondylosis, spinal cord tumors, or even as a side effect of radiation therapy in oncology patients.
sciencedirect.com
Factors like fatigue, overheating, or sudden neck movements can make it more likely to occur in susceptible individuals.
webmd.com
Diagnosis typically involves a physical exam where the doctor reproduces the sign by having the patient flex their neck, combined with medical history and imaging like MRI to identify underlying issues in the spinal cord.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Treatment focuses on addressing the root cause—such as disease-modifying therapies for MS—rather than the sign itself, though medications for neuropathic pain (like anticonvulsants or antidepressants) may help manage discomfort if it's frequent.
my.clevelandclinic.org
In many cases, it resolves on its own as the underlying condition improves.
mstrust.org.uk
- Grok
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