Pain is a common symptom in MS. Those who experience pain feel its effects on their daily life activities, such as work and recreation, and in their mood and enjoyment of life.

The fact that a record number of people responded to our online survey for this edition of the magazine shows how important this problem is for the many people who experience pain.

Alarmingly, 90 percent of peoplewith MS said they were not completely relieved of pain with treatment.

This discrepancy highlights an area that demands attention from health care professionals and researchers.

Many clinical features of pain are often unrecognised by clinicians and it may be difficult for many people with MS to find the right words to describe the pain they experience. At the same time, scales for evaluating pain rely on subjective reports and may be biased by any combination of circumstances, making the evaluation of pain severity and its impact on daily living difficult.

Pain is often present with other symptoms, such as depression, spasticity and mobility difficulties, underlining the importance of addressing MS comprehensively. The situation is complicated further by the fact that a person with MS may also have other illnesses, making the diagnosis and treatment of pain very complex. Another concern is that in some cases the side effects of pain medication can be as distressing as the pain itself and therefore cannot be used at an optimal level.

Considering it has a significant influence on a person’s quality of life, unmanaged or ineffectively managed pain can have consequences that go beyond issues of symptom management. Therefore, involvement of the MS team, including the person with MS and his or her family, is fundamental for the identification, assessment and optimal treatment of pain.

We hope that this edition of MS in focus will clarify some issues related to the diagnosis and management of pain and be a useful resource, particularly for health professionals who may not realise the impact pain has.

Michele Messmer Uccelli, Editor