THE ROLE of trauma in causing or aggravating multiple sclerosis (MS) has been intensely debated in the medical literature as well as in the courtroom for many years. In an attempt to develop a consensus opinion on this issue, the Therapeutics and Technology Assessment Subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology critically reviewed relevant published data on the possible effects of trauma on MS. In an article published in 1999,1 the subcommittee stated,