Most people know that multiple sclerosis eventually leads to trouble walking. A new survey of more than 1,200 adults living with MS shows that walking difficulty may be more common and more dangerous than most people realize. According to the results, 60% of people with MS who report walking difficulties also report that they fall frequently and almost 65% experience walking difficulties or trouble with balance. Many report that they first developed trouble walking before they were diagnosed. And yet despite these findings, the survey also shows that many people with MS do not discuss walking trouble with their doctor.
These are just some of the new findings from a landmark survey of people with MS conducted by Harris Interactive. The results indicate that many people with MS may be at risk and may not be getting the medical care they need to help to improve or preserve their walking ability. And many feel that their walking problems are putting them in danger:
- People with MS who have trouble walking report that they fall three times every six months on average.
- 16% have been told by a doctor to use an assistive walking device, but have opted not to do so.
- 40% of people with walking difficulty “rarely or never” discuss the problem with their doctor.
- Women appear more concerned about risks associated with walking problems than men – 78% of these women and 62% of these men report that trouble walking “makes getting around dangerous.”
- Walking difficulty also affects income and emotional health for people with MS. 61% of people with MS report that MS has interfered with their ability to work, causing them to lose personal income. 32% say that it makes them feel isolated.
The survey was conducted in June 2011 and the results were presented today at the 5th Joint Triennial Congress of the European and Americas Committees for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS/ACTRIMS) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The study was co-sponsored by the National MS Society and Acorda Therapeutics.
Additional details about the study are available in the press release below. Nick LaRocca, PhD, vice president of health care delivery and policy research at NMSS is available for interviews and can discuss the impact that walking problems continue to have on people living with MS. In addition, a person living with MS is available to offer some personal perspectives on how walking problems have affected their overall health, family, and career.
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