National Pain Week is an opportunity to recognise an often invisible burden carried by many Australians living with multiple sclerosis (MS): pain.
While MS is commonly associated with mobility problems and fatigue, pain is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms of the disease.
As many as nine out of 10 people with MS experience pain.
Pain has consistently been identified in our community surveys as among the top symptoms experienced by people living with MS and needing more research into treatment and care.
It can take many forms, from burning or stabbing nerve pain to painful muscle spasms, headaches, persistent musculoskeletal pain and the infamous ‘MS hug’.
For some, it is constant. For others, it comes in unpredictable waves that make work, sleep, relationships and everyday activities difficult.
MS Australia-funded researchers recently surveyed more than 1,600 Australians living with MS about their pain. A third experienced moderate to severe pain; and half of these said pain had a high impact on their daily function.
Despite its prevalence, pain in MS remains under-recognised and, too often, inadequately treated. As one survey participant said, “ I would love to have a day without pain”.
Too many Australians living with MS continue to endure pain because we simply do not have enough treatments designed specifically for the underlying mechanisms that cause pain in this disease.
That is why investment in pain research is so important.
A better understanding of how MS damages the nervous system to trigger chronic pain will lead to more targeted therapies, more personalised treatment approaches and, ultimately, more effective medications with fewer side effects.
Advances in neuroscience, precision medicine and biomarker research offer genuine reasons for optimism, but progress depends on sustained investment in research.
Pain management should also be recognised as a core part of comprehensive MS care.
Alongside medication, access to physiotherapy, psychology, exercise programs and multidisciplinary pain services can make a significant difference to quality of life.
No one approach will work for everyone, but every person deserves access to evidence-based options.
This National Pain Week, let’s remember that pain is not something people with MS should simply be expected to live with.
Better research leads to better treatments. Better treatments lead to greater independence, improved mental wellbeing and a higher quality of life.
For the more than 37,700 Australians living with MS, investing in pain research is not just about reducing symptoms. It is about restoring opportunity, participation, dignity and hope.
That’s why MSA calls on the Australian Government to significantly boost its support for pain and neurological research.
Rohan Greenland
CEO, MS Australia
