Lumbar Puncture for Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Lumbar puncture test for MS.

During a lumbar puncture test, a small sample of cerebrospinal fluid (fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord)¹

is taken from the space around your spinal cord using a thin flexible needle inserted into your lower back.²

This takes about half an hour under a local anaesthetic.³ Some people might experience a headache following a lumbar puncture,³ in which case speak to your healthcare team as they will have ways to manage the potential headaches.

I know it’s hard, especially if you don’t like needles, but try to relax as much as possible, as that will help. Try to keep your attention on something else. For example, keep your hands busy or have a close friend or family member there to chat to you and distract you.

Mike

Living with MS since 2014

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The lumbar puncture has a reputation for being the worst, but for me, it was only uncomfortable rather than painful. Knowing it was something that needed to be done to benefit me in the long-run made it bearable.

Grace

Living with MS since 2017

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I really didn’t have any problems with the lumbar puncture – they did a good job. It took about 10 minutes in all – really short.

Katherina

Living with MS since 2018

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Once you have had the lumbar puncture, you may have to lay down for the rest of the day, to let the cerebrospinal fluid settle down and to recover from the procedure. If you stand up very fast, you might get a terrible headache, so try to lie down as long as you can and rest for the next day or so.

Mike

Living with MS since 2014

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A lumbar puncture is performed to check for signs of MS in the cerebrospinal fluid, which is the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.^1,4

A potential sign of MS is increased immune activity in this fluid.⁴

This activity is assessed by measuring the levels of immune cells, such as antibodies and white blood cells in the cerebrospinal fluid and comparing them to the levels in the blood. Higher levels of these immune cells, or proteins produced by them called oligoclonal bands, in the cerebrospinal fluid can indicate MS and means that your immune system might be causing damage to your nerves.^3,4

1. Sakka L, et al. Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis. 2011;128:309–16.
2. Engelborghs S, et al. Alzheimers Dement (Amst). 2017;8:111–26.
3. Multiple Sclerosis Trust. Lumbar puncture. https://www.mstrust.org.uk/a-z/lumbar-puncture [accessed May 2020].
4. Garg N, Smith TW. Brain Behav. 2015;5:e00362.