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Stanford Health Care

Diagnosis

How We Can Help You

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder that affects the brain and spinal cord, causing problems with muscle control, strength, vision, and balance. Symptoms and severity vary in each person with MS. 

At the Stanford Health Care Multiple Sclerosis Center, we partner with you to create your customized treatment plan. Our specialists use the latest therapies to manage your symptoms, supporting your independence and overall well-being.

What We Offer You for Multiple Sclerosis

  • Care that brings a variety of specialists together to work with you to design care recommendations.
  • Optimized outcomes that result from offering nearly two dozen approved medications, plus supportive physical, occupational, and speech therapy services. Go to Treatments
  • Renowned expertise with specialists who bring the latest research in MS treatment to address the unique needs of people with various forms of MS. Go to About Condition
  • Access to clinical trials that offer eligible patients today's most advanced MS treatments before they're widely available. Several of our MS Center trials have brought new treatments to patient care. Go to Clinical Trials
  • Ease of access that bring multispecialists to consult you during one visit. We've designed our service and our facility to offer you comfort and ease. Go to Accessing Care
  • We commonly see a new patient within two weeks, either in person or through a virtual visit. If you live faraway, we are pleased to consult with your local neurologist to guide your treatment.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Treatment

As leaders in multiple sclerosis research, we recommend treatments to help you maximize function, independence, and quality of life. We are deeply knowledgeable about the entire spectrum of immunotherapies and work with you to design a treatment plan that meets your needs. As part of our commitment to personalized care, our specialists match treatment options to your specific needs, severity of symptoms, and stage of MS. We are particularly skilled in treating severe cases of MS using a broad range of pioneering therapies.

For best results and optimal health, it’s important for treatment to include both medication and rehabilitation therapies.

MS medication
At Stanford Health Care, you have access to all medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for MS. 

These therapies—more than 20 types—treat MS and can delay progression of the disease. 

Medications for MS come in these three forms: 

  • Injectable medication: medicine injected under the skin or muscle 
  • Oral medication: tablets or capsules taken by mouth once or twice a day 
  • Infusion medication: medication that goes directly into the bloodstream via an IV (intravenous) line

MS rehabilitation 
Our physical and occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists are not generalists. They have extensive experience working with people who have MS and other neurological disorders. Our therapists conduct thorough evaluations and tailor advanced treatments to your individual needs and lifestyle goals.

We offer: 

  • Physical therapy for improving strength, coordination, and balance 
  • Occupational therapy for performing daily activities, from getting dressed to driving
  • Speech therapy for strengthening mouth and tongue muscles to help with breathing, speaking, and swallowing

If hospitalization is required, our team coordinates closely with our neurohospitalists—a team specially trained to support patients with complex neurologic conditions while they are receiving inpatient care.

 

Clinical Trials

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Open Clinical Trials

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Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate the mechanisms and unique immuno fingerprint of the disease, its causes, and potential cures, including new immunotherapies. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.

Open trials refer to studies currently accepting participants.

Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but may open in the future.
View Closed Clinical Trials

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Diagnosis 

MS shares symptoms with other, less serious conditions, and no single test can definitively diagnose MS. That's why a comprehensive evaluation is critical to accurately diagnosing MS. To confirm an MS diagnosis, our specialists use a variety of tools, which may include: 

  • Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): scans that produce detailed images of the brain, optic nerve, and spinal cord to show signs of inflammation and other abnormalities 
  • Lumbar puncture: removal of a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid from the spinal column to evaluate for antibodies or other abnormalities 
  • Evoked potentials: electric tests that record the brain’s response to various stimuli to detect visual, auditory, or sensory issues 
  • Blood tests: series of blood tests that rule out conditions that mimic MS, such as lupus and Lyme disease, neuromyelitis optica, or myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody disease (MOGAD)

We also might conduct: 

  • Eye exams by our colleagues in neuro-ophthalmology to check for vision problems
  • Neurological exams to detect issues with coordination, walking, and muscle function 
  • Neuropsychological tests to identify cognitive impairment

Our Clinics

Multiple Sclerosis Center

We are committed to making your care as accessible, seamless, and supportive as possible with: 

  • Centralized check-in for all appointments 
  • Convenient on-site pharmacy and infusion services
  • Comfortable setting that features ambient lighting, quiet waiting areas, and easy-to-navigate hallways and floor plan
Multiple Sclerosis Center
213 Quarry Road
 Palo Alto, CA 94304
Phone: 650-723-6469 Getting Here
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To schedule an appointment, please call 650-723-6469.