What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder and neurological condition, most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 20-40, though it can occur at younger or older ages as well. Nearly twice as many women suffer from MS as men. Most researchers now believe that genetic and environmental factors may contribute to MS, but the exact triggers of MS remain unknown.
Physical symptoms resulting from nerve inflammation and damage include difficulties with walking and balance, muscle spasms, fatigue, stiffness, and even vision impairment.
Treatments include conventional drug regimens (often including steroids), changes in diet, exercise, and sleep patterns, physiotherapy, and alternative medicine. There is no cure.
While MS patients have better treatment plans than in years past as more is understood about the disease, for a portion of those with multiple sclerosis, disability is a very real concern. And for some of those suffering with debilitating symptoms of MS, one option can be a mobility scooter.
Lifestyle Adaptations
For those with multiple sclerosis who can no longer consistently or ably walk or otherwise ambulate, mobility scooters can be a way to limit the way the disease impacts their daily life. Given how MS can limit their ability to live independently, as well as take away control in their daily lives, mobility scooters can help give some of that power back.
This is especially true for those suffering with mobility issues, as a scooter can help them continue an otherwise normal routine, thus giving back some semblance of freedom, independence, and even dignity.
It may not need to be an all the time thing, either. For some MS patients, a mobility scooter may only occasionally be needed, such as on days when they are especially fatigued or especially unsteady on their feet. For other patients, it may be a near constant aid. At either end of the mobility spectrum, however, scooters can help patients live their lives.
Additional Features
Different features of various scooter designs can help, too.
For instance, some scooters may offer swivel seats, which may make it easier for patients to get in and out of the scooter. Adjustable seats and arm rests are other ways in which scooters can help support function, and scooters that offer delta handlebars may help alleviate pressure points or even allow operation with either hand, which can come in handy for patients who may have one side of their body more affected than the other.
Similarly, some scooters can be packed down with a single hand, allowing for much easier transport in a vehicle, for instance.
For those patients who need more support, three- and four-wheel scooters can provide additional stability.
Fortunately, as doctors and researchers come to understand MS and MS treatment better, fewer MS patients have the same kinds of mobility concerns, or needs for scooters. For those who can benefit from a scooter in their life, however, the advantages can be many, and odds are good they can find a scooter with whatever features or modifications they need to live a more independent life than they otherwise might be able.
Even for patients who might normally have good mobility, the cost of many scooters is such that they may be worth having as part of a treatment plan for those days when they are feeling unsteady, or could otherwise use a little more support and stability in their movements.
Mobility scooters don’t have to just be for those patients who are most limited, after all; they can be a strategy to extend function no matter how a MS patient is affected.
As a result, if you or a family member or friend suffers from MS, you should definitely consider the ways in which a mobility scooter might help improve quality of life, making more possible with less effort.
After all, while MS doesn’t yet have a cure, there’s no reason you or others can’t still live the life you want while still managing your symptoms and treatments!
Multiple Sclerosis – An infographic by MS
