Doctors usually treat MS with medications and other therapies rather than with surgery. If you have MS and need surgery for any reason, it’s important to know how surgery may affect your MS symptoms.

While there’s no cure for multiple sclerosis (MS), treatment can help slow disease progression, reduce flares, and help manage symptoms.

Most treatment for MS involves medications to reduce disease activity and symptoms. Complementary therapies, like physical therapy, speech therapy, or occupational therapy, can help people with MS manage symptoms and improve functionality.

If you have MS, you might need to have surgery for another health issue, and rarely, surgery may be an option for treatment of some MS complications.

Read on to learn more about different surgical options for MS and possible benefits and side effects from surgery.

Experts don’t understand what causes MS. Some research has looked at genetics, infections, and even head trauma. Some researchers think that prior surgery may be associated with the possibility of developing MS.

One older study from 2013 found that people who had a tonsillectomy or appendectomy before age 20 were more likely to develop MS. The researchers called for larger studies to look at the possible connection between these two events and MS. However, additional research is still needed.

It’s possible that there’s more than one trigger, genetic factors, or underlying cause of MS, and that not everyone with this condition has the same cause.

MS is a relapsing-remitting condition. That means that it may cause periods of few symptoms and low impact followed by increased activity and greater problems. The times when symptoms increase are called flares.

If you’re living with MS, you may need surgery for another medical condition that’s not related to your MS, such as a bone fracture or a hernia. As you prepare for any type of surgery, it’s important to talk with your neurologist and discuss risks or complications associated with having MS and precautions to prevent surgical complications from triggering an MS flare.

Each person has different triggers for flares. Some events, conditions, or substances can increase flare-up risk. Avoiding these can help manage MS symptoms.

Trauma and infection are two possible causes of MS flares. This makes surgery seem like a tricky proposition for people living with MS.

Researchers of a 2022 study found that bariatric surgery for weight loss may worsen the progression of MS after surgery, especially within the first 5 years after surgery.

However, more research is needed to understand why this occurs. Researchers aren’t sure whether something about the procedure itself or nutritional changes following surgery may contribute.

It’s best to make sure you understand the risks and benefits of surgery if you have MS.

If you’re living with MS, you need to take extra precautions to avoid infections after surgery because an infection can have a particularly adverse effect on MS. A fever can cause a flare.

Additionally, decreased mobility and activity during the postoperative period can lead to deconditioning of your muscles. Your doctor may request you work with a physical therapist during your time in the hospital.

There are some additional risks associated with surgery if you have MS, but taking certain precautions can reduce them.

Doctors help manage most MS symptoms with nonsurgical treatments, such as:

  • medications
  • physical therapy
  • occupational therapy
  • speech therapy
  • diet changes
  • exercise

However, some surgeries can ease symptoms and improve the quality of life in some people.

Baclofen is a medication that works on the brain to decrease spasticity. This is a condition that causes muscles to be in an almost constant state of contracture or flex. The medication can decrease the signals from the brain that tell the muscles to engage.

However, oral forms of baclofen can cause some significant side effects, including:

  • headache
  • nausea
  • sleepiness

For people who have severe spasticity, it takes very high doses of oral muscle relaxers to manage the spasticity, and the side effects may be intolerable. In these instances, injection of the medication can be more effective and easier to tolerate.

For this surgery, a doctor will implant a pump near the spinal cord. This pump is programmed to deliver the medication on a regular basis. For most people, the surgery is easily managed. The pump will need to be refilled every few months.

Possible risks

Possible risks can include:

One severe complication or symptom of MS is intense nerve pain. It’s a consequence of the damage to the nerves in the body. Trigeminal neuralgia is neuropathic pain that affects the face and head.

Mild stimulation, such as washing your face or brushing your teeth, may be very painful if you have this type of nerve pain.

Rhizotomy is a procedure to cut away the portion of the spinal nerve that causes this severe pain. This surgery provides lasting relief but also makes your face numb.

Possible risks

Research from 2018Trusted Source suggests that the risks of microsurgical rhizotomy for people with MS are small.

However, you may have soreness at the surgical site as you recover.

Some people with MS who cannot swallow (dysphagia) have a feeding tube placed in the stomach to provide essential nutrition and hydration.

A feeding tube may reduce the risk of dehydration and aspiration that can result from problems with swallowing.

There are different types of feeding tubes and procedures for inserting them. A healthcare professional typically uses a person’s health information and other individual factors to determine the most appropriate option.

Possible risks

  • infection
  • ileus
  • a tube moving after placement
  • bleeding
  • leaking

Deep brain stimulation is a procedure used to treat severe tremor in people with Parkinson’s disease. Researchers are studying whether there is a possible benefit to its use for MS-associated tremors.

Possible risks

Deep brain stimulation may not relieve tremors in people with MS. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved it for this purpose. It’s more commonly used to manage tremors in people with Parkinson’s disease and certain movement disorders.

  • bleeding or infection in the brain
  • headaches, seizures, or pain following surgery
  • future surgery to replace the device parts if they break down

If you have MS, talk with your doctor about your treatment options, including surgery.

Likewise, if you need surgery for another health condition, it’s best to discuss the upcoming surgery with your neurologist and surgical team to ensure a good recovery.

While surgery is as safe for people with MS as it is for people who don’t have the condition, some aspects of recovery are more important to people with MS. That includes watching for signs of infection and getting physical therapy to prevent muscle weakness.