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Imagine feeling like you’re getting a sudden electric shock every time you move your head or neck — that’s the sensation known as Lhermitte’s sign. Some people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience Lhermitte’s sign. Sometimes, Lhermitte’s sign can travel into the arms and legs, too. This unpleasant symptom is typically triggered when you bend your head forward toward your chest. In people living with MS, anywhere from 9 percent to 41 percent experience Lhermitte’s sign.
Members of MyMSTeam have described what it feels like living with Lhermitte’s sign. “Has anyone ever felt like they have stinging in their upper back when they bend downward?” One member asked. “I found out that I have Lhermitte’s sign. I thought I was going crazy bending my head and feeling a buzzing that went from my neck to my spine. I’m going to contact my MS doctor in the morning,” another member added.
Read on to learn about four things to know about Lhermitte’s sign, including what it feels like, what can put you at higher risk of experiencing it, and what treatments may be available to you.
1. Lhermitte’s Sign Is Caused by Nerve Damage
Lhermitte’s sign is considered to be a nervous system pain syndrome associated with MS. It’s named after a French neurologist named Jean-Jacques Lhermitte (1877-1959) who first noticed the symptom (Lhermitte phenomenon) and coined the term. Importantly, Lhermitte’s sign is not a disease itself but rather a symptom. The pain typically feels like an electric shock, comes and goes, and is triggered by neck motion or touching your chin to your chest. It’s usually caused by a lesion or compression in the cervical portion of the spinal cord or the lower part of the brainstem. One study found that 95 percent of people living with Lhermitte’s sign had a lesion in their cervical spinal cord. Lesions or compression in the brain or spinal cord can cause issues with nerve conduction. Problems with nerve conduction can lead to neurons (nerve cells) firing abnormally and occasional bouts of pain.
2. Lhermitte’s Sign Happens With Many Health Conditions
Lhemitte’s sign is not specific to MS — it can be seen in a variety of conditions. Having one of the following conditions (or treatments) can lead to this symptom:
- MS
- Radiation treatment
- High-dose chemotherapy
- Lupus
- Disc herniation or degenerative disc disease
- Herpes zoster infection
- Transverse myelitis
- Cervical spinal cord compression
- Behçet’s disease
- Arnold-Chiari malformation
- Trauma
- Discontinuation syndrome from certain antidepressants
- Subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord
- Spinal cord conditions (e.g., syringomyelia)
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
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