Yes, it’s possible to have Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Fibromyalgia.
Although the symptoms of fibromyalgia and MS have marked differences, we do find that these conditions may sometimes (especially early on) be misdiagnosed as each other.
Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes the patient to experience chronic pain affecting the entire body that may “jump” from area to area, along with severe, chronic fatigue. Patients who suffer from fibromyalgia often will report that they suffered from some type of old cervical or tailbone injury, such as whiplash or falls.
There are many unique and complex characteristics surrounding fibromyalgia. These make it one of the most difficult, challenging, and complicated conditions to work with and to suffer from.
In general, doctors are very confused about fibromyalgia. Unfortunately, it simply managed as a group of symptoms to be numbed and suppressed, with the vast majority of doctors “treating” fibromyalgia by throwing drugs at it to (at best) cover up symptoms. Although this may provide some relief, it is only a band-aid approach.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that was previously thought to be caused when the body’s immune system attacks its own central nervous system (CNS), resulting in the myelin sheaths (think of them as insulation) around nerve cells in parts of the brain and spinal cord being damaged, in turn leading to loss of myelin and scarring. These changes affect the ability of nerve cells to communicate, resulting in a wide range of signs and symptoms. These symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as loss of vision or paralysis.
The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are somewhat unpredictable and may vary from one person to another. Typical symptoms may include fatigue, loss of vision/hearing, double vision or visual blurriness in the central visual field that affects only one eye, weakness of the arms or legs, neuropathy (tingling, pain or numbness) in the limbs, speech impairment, difficulty balancing, and bowel or bladder incontinence.
The model for immune system dysfunction leaves one obvious question unanswered: why does the immune system turn on itself in the first place? After all, this seems to be a common occurrence in multiple conditions including MS, fibromyalgia, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. All share an immune system gone haywire and now on the prowl, damaging its own body. Since the immune system is governed by the central nervous system, it would make sense that there might be a link between this system and the immune system’s nutty behavior.
A groundbreaking study performed in 2011 using upright MRIs found: “Multiple sclerosis may be bio-mechanical in origin wherein traumatic injuries to the cervical spine result in cervical pathologies that impede the normal circulation of CSF to and from the brain.”1
In layman’s terms, this means that multiple sclerosis may also be caused by injuries to the cervical spine, such as car accidents. While more studies are needed, we find this research eye-opening and very promising indeed. In our work, we have noticed great changes in the neurological symptoms of MS when the upper cervical spine was treated and corrected.
Please keep in mind that, especially in a case where someone suffered from past upper cervical trauma, both conditions may exist in one patient.
Sources
1. R.V. Damadian and D. Chu, “The Possible Role of Cranio-Cervical Trauma and Abnormal CSF Hydrodynamics in the Genesis of Multiple Sclerosis,” Physiol. Chem. Phys. & Med. NMR (2011)
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