Right hip imbalance with MS

I have developed a weakness on the right over 40 years. It will add to your Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It settles without you noticing. It might have started without MS but it will speed up with MS.

After 3 months in hospital (pneumonia and pleurisy resulted in poor core stability, 5 years of sleeping on my left (to accommodate a catheter leg bag and try to stop snoring) and not using the footrests on the wheelchair, I could not stand, lift my right arm and straighten my right leg.

I had a pain in the right groin and the right gluteus. I had spasms. I also had 6 toe nail infections to the same toe over 2 years. It is at the very end of the sciatic nerve.

I had spasms in the big toe and because I had worn high heels and narrow shoes my toes were also overlapping. It is a complex fashion induced problem which is not caused by MS as any neurologist would say at first. It is a consequence of living with MS. Like the chicken and the egg!

On New Year Eve 2015

You may have contracted your muscles on the right to withdraw your foot to avoid the front wheel of the chair at the same time of pinching your sciatic nerve as you sleep turned to the left and felt weak when putting your foot down because of the infection and the over riding toe. I am improving with bespoke toe spreaders, some botulinum toxin (botox) injections in the right psoas iliacus and right adductor (only 3 times), 2mg of Tizanidine (no painkillers) , losing weight, using a CPAP machine (sleep apnea) and a very strong determination. I also managed this with the help of a neurologist who was at the centre of a multidisciplinary team of a National Health Service (NHS), wide availability of good information from the charity MS Research, Treatment and Education ( full of expertise and helpful) and MS Society in the UK (it is good to join) among others.

I just found some good advice from the NHS to avoid the bad posture to settle and leave anybody fighting the odds later.