MS, surgery and anaesthesia
Most people with MS can have surgery and anaesthetics when they need them.
But there might be things to discuss with your medical team about your MS symptoms or treatments you take. And you and those close to you might need to take MS into account when you plan ahead for recovery after the operation.
Is anaesthetic safe if you have MS?
Most people with MS can have general or local anaesthetic for surgery and spinal or epidural anaesthetic for childbirth. Research hasn’t shown a link between anaesthetic and MS relapses or MS symptoms getting worse in the long term. Doctors will consider your MS and any treatments you take when they think about which anaesthetics to use.
Everyone is assessed for anaesthetics individually. So there can be reasons someone with MS might not be able to have anaesthetics, or need more precautions. For example, if another health condition or MS cause a particular symptom that makes complications more likely. For example, if they affect how strongly someone can breathe.
Some medications might interact with anaesthetics too, so your surgeon and anaesthetist will want to know about any treatments and supplements you take.
It’s a good idea to tell your MS team you’re having surgery as well as letting your surgeon and anaesthetist know about your MS.
There can be a lot to remember when you’re discussing surgery and anaesthetics with your doctors. They should answer questions you’ve got and have information you can take away and read in your own time.
Can surgery cause an MS relapse or make MS worse?
The research isn’t completely clear about surgery affecting MS and relapses. A study of 281 people in 2020 showed no increased risk of MS relapse in the 3 months after surgery. But some other research has shown increases in the risk of relapse after surgery.
We know that infections and fever can trigger MS relapses. And infections can happen after surgery. So healthcare after an operation should include keeping a close eye for signs of infection and taking measures to avoid it.
The medical team that carries out the surgery should be in touch with your MS team to know about your MS and any treatments. That helps plan your care before, during and after surgery.
Surgeons always want to know about health conditions and treatments before they operate. They’ll also want to know about your health generally, as they do for anyone they operate on.
Recovering from surgery with MS
Everyone needs to plan for their recovery time after surgery, and MS might affect this planning. After the physical and emotional stresses of an operation, some people find some symptoms, including fatigue, feel worse while they recover.
Your healthcare team can give you an idea of how long recovery could take. Though it could be difficult to predict accurately. Health and social care can also help you plan for any different care you might need while you recover. For example, if you’ll need more support from paid carers during recovery.
Intermediate care, rehabilitation or reablement
You might hear temporary care being called ‘intermediate care’, ‘rehabilitation’, ‘reablement’ or ‘recovery services’. This is care to help you regain independence. You’ll have an assessment to see what support they can offer, and for how long. This kind of temporary support can usually only last up to 6 weeks and could be shorter.
If you’re having an operation, you might also want to plan practical things like:
- transport to and from hospital
- arrangements for childcare or other caring responsibilities
- pet care arrangements
- easy to access meals and help with essential chores
- how to manage the impact if you work
- if the stay in hospital will affect any financial benefits you get
Before you go into hospital, make sure you’ve got all the contact details for people who can help. That includes your MS team or GP, but also could be family or friends who’ve agreed to help out.
Read more about practical planning for going into and leaving hospital
Last full review: 1 October 2026
Next review date: 1 October 2029
We also update when we know about important changes.
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