There's nothing quite like bending your neck and getting zapped in the spine like you pissed off Thor. That, my friends, is Lhermitte's Sign—one of MS's more obnoxious symptoms that shows up uninvited and makes you question reality for a second.
The first time I felt it, I legitimately thought I was got hit by lightning. Not even joking. It started in the base of my neck and blew out through my heels like I was a damn lightning rod.
Let's be real—MS loves to keep things spicy. Some days it's just a little tingle, and other days it's "Who the fuck hit me with a cattle prod?" Either way, it's a solid reminder: yep, still broken.
So What the Hell Is It?
In plain terms: your nervous system is glitching. In MS, your dumbass immune system's B-Cells mistook your myelin (the insulation around your nerves) for something sketchy and got your T-Cells to shredded it like a dumpster raccoon. Now your spinal cord's exposed wires are flaring up anytime they get nudged the wrong way—like when you bend your neck forward.
That zap? Think back to the '80s and the game Operation—only now you're the patient, and every time you bend your neck, your nervous system hits the sides. BZZZT. No funny bone—just MS being an asshole.
This specific bug happens because of a lesion in your cervical spinal cord—right at the base of your neck. The short version? A damaged signal highway plus flexing your neck = spontaneous electrocution. Fun times!
Who the Hell Was Lhermitte?
Dr. Jacques Jean Lhermitte was a French neurologist who decided in 1924 to name this bizarre symptom after himself, probably because "neck flex zappy bullshit" didn't sound medical enough. To be fair, he wasn't the first to notice it, but he was the first to officially describe it in people with neurological conditions. I'd bet he never had MS, though—because if he did, he would've named it Oh God What the Fuck Was That Syndrome."
What It Feels Like (According to My MS Body)
- Lightning bolt from my brain-stem to my feet.
- A sudden zap like I just grabbed or stood on an electric fence (been there, done that—this is worse).
- A tingly shock-wave that hits so fast it makes me freeze in place like I hit an invisible force field. And it makes it appear to others like the matrix just froze for a few seconds.
- Occasionally, just a weird vibration—but still enough to remind me my spine's not okay.
Known Triggers
- Bending your neck forward (most common)
- Bending your neck backward
- Heat (because MS is a bitch about temperature)
- Fatigue
- Stress
Can You Fix It?
Short answer: no. Longer answer: maybe you can quiet it down.
Medications that might help:
- Carbamazepine (anti-seizure med that sometimes calms overactive nerve signals)
- Gabapentin or pregabalin (good luck if you're not allergic, unlike me)
- Amitriptyline (can help, but also might turn you into a zombie)
Other tricks people swear by:
- Avoiding heat like it's lava.
- Using neck support if it's really bad and you don't mind looking like a professional personal injury litigant.
- Stretching and physical therapy to improve posture and reduce trigger motion.
- Cooling devices such as cooling vests, wraps, magic towels or neck fans. I recently got a neck air conditioner and it's amazing.
None of this cures it. Best case scenario, it dials the shock level down from "lightning bolt" to "cheap toy buzzer" it's a win.
Daily Life With It
It becomes this weird neurological reflex you start working around. You bend slower. You brace yourself. You try to trick your own body like "Hey buddy, we're just picking up a towel, don't freak out."
For me, it's part of my daily MS circus. If I don't feel the zap, I actually pause like—"Is it gone or just hiding?"
MS isn't predictable, nor consistentsss and neither is this stupid symptom. Some people only get it once in a flare, some experience it on a daily basis. Some feel it in their arms, or back, or legs. Me? My feet light up like it's Christmas morning and someone plugged in the tree.
Final Thoughts
Lhermitte's Sign isn't the worst MS symptom—but it sure is one of the rudest. It doesn't give a warning, it doesn't care what you're doing, and it definitely doesn't care if you're in public trying to act like a functioning human.
If you've felt it, I see you. If you haven't yet… good luck, and may you stay blissfully unaware of this stupid symptom.
It becomes this weird neurological reflex you start working around. You bend slower. You brace yourself. You try to trick your own body like "Hey buddy, we're just picking up a towel, don't freak out."
For me, it's part of my daily MS circus. If I don't feel the zap, I actually pause like—"Is it gone or just hiding?"
MS isn't predictable, nor consistent and neither is this stupid symptom. Some people only get it once in a flare, some experience it on a daily basis. Some feel it in their arms, or back, or legs. Me? My feet light up like it's Christmas morning and someone plugged in the tree.