Today, Multiple Sclerosis ( MS) sufferers have more than one treatment that they can try. This is mainly because MS manifests itself differently in each individual, with symptoms that go from un-noticeable to impairing. However, for the moment, the treatments available only soothe the symptoms, as there is no cure for this condition yet.
It is believed that the damage multiple sclerosis causes is due to the person’s own immune system, and the treatments help to fight its response in conjunction with this condition. Of course, like any other illness, MS has symptoms that don’t require any treatment because they are mild, but treatment is a must for persons who experience mild to severe symptoms.

MS common treatments: therapy and medication

Therapy
MS can be an impairing condition, since it affects one’s ability to move freely, and there are more than one challenge that affect the MS sufferer’s range of mobility. This is why therapy is one of the most common treatments for MS.
With a deteriorating range of mobility, physical therapy is needed. Many of MS sufferers experience pain, stiffness and weakness in their muscles. This makes movement difficult and also creates a psychological fear of movement. The pain and fear are best managed through physical therapy. Normally, an MS patient will need to do exercises that help loosen the stiffness and keep the muscles supple. This is why, swimming, biking, running and aerobics are highly recommended for MS sufferers.
Patients learn that even if it’s not easy to do the exercises, in the long run this helps them keep their fitness up, their ability to move as close as normal as possible, besides helping them feel better about themselves – there is no stronger feeling of joy than the one experienced when an MS sufferer managed to overcome his or her limits and regained partially or totally his or her freedom of movement.

Prescription Medication Treatment
Medication is also used in the treatment of MS, and the most commonly prescribed medication is corticosteroids.  This medication is used to alleviate the inflammation that MS patients experience when they enter a relapse stage. Another commonly used medication is interferon.  Even if these medications slow down the disease’s progression, the long term secondary effects include damage to the liver.
Another commonly used drug is Copaxone, which blocks the immune’s system attack on myelin ( the covering of nerve cells)
A medication commonly used in advanced stages of MS is Novantrone, a medication prescribed by doctors only to those who experience serious symptoms, because the long term side effect of this drug is damage to the heart.

Conclusion
There are many treatments currently available for MS, and these help improve one’s quality of life. But since no two MS cases are alike there are a number of factors that need to be taken under consideration, including the length of time the patients has MS, the severity of the symptoms,  the patient’s full medical history, and the patient’s lifestyle. Only after all of the above factors were considered, a healthcare specialist will be able to prescribe a proper treatment for the patient.