Yes, you can lose the use of your legs with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) due to nerve damage causing severe weakness, stiffness, and spasms, potentially leading to difficulty walking, balance issues, and even partial or complete paralysis, often requiring mobility aids like wheelchairs or canes, though treatments and physical therapy can help manage symptoms.
Nerve pain (neuropathic pain) can cause unpleasant sensations on the skin, down the spine, in the eyes and around the chest. The sensations may feel like pins and needles, numbness, burning and stabbing. Sometimes they can feel very painful. Nerve pain is a common MS symptom.
Lifestyle and home remedies
This could be caused directly by MS nerve damage in the spinal cord or brain. Shoulder pain and upper back pain can also be the result of living with MS.
Experts usually describe pain caused by MS as musculoskeletal, paroxysmal or chronic neurogenic. Musculoskeletal pain can be due to muscular weakness, spasticity and imbalance. It is most often seen in the hips, legs and arms and particularly when muscles, tendons and ligaments remain immobile for some time.
MS Symptoms in Legs
Numbness or Tingling: A “pins and needles” sensation, or complete numbness, often starting in the feet and moving upward. Spasticity (Muscle Stiffness or Spasms): Tight or rigid muscles that make walking or bending the legs difficult. Muscle spasms, especially in the calves, are also common.
The truth is that 15 years after the onset of MS, only about 20% of patients are bedridden or institutionalized. Another 20% may require a wheelchair, or use crutches, or a cane to ambulate, but fully 60% will be ambulatory without assistance and some will have little deficit at all.
The most common pains in people with MS are burning pain in the legs or arms, back pain, painful spasms, trigeminal neuralgia (stabbing, intermittent facial pain), and Lhermitte's sign (shock-like sensation down the back and into the arms when dipping your chin to your chest).
Some people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) feel like their arms are very heavy. Members of MyMSTeam often talk about feelings of weakness and heaviness in their arms. This may not be one of the first symptoms associated with MS, but heaviness in the arms is one of many possible MS symptoms.
For many, fatigue is considered to be the single most debilitating symptom, surpassing pain and even physical disability. Fatigue also imposes significant socioeconomic consequences, including loss of work hours and in some instances, loss of employment.
For those with MS, avoiding too much exercise is a big concern. Too much activity can cause fatigue and worsen symptoms. It's important to listen to your body and know when you've done too much. Pacing activities and taking breaks helps manage energy.
Over 90% of people with MS have elevated levels of an antibody called intrathecal immunoglobulin G (IgG).
Invisible symptoms of MS – fatigue, pain, blurred vision, numbness, and brain fog – which often go unnoticed by other people, can also interfere with daily functioning and be just as debilitating.
Circulation red flags
Here are common symptoms to watch for: Numbness or tingling in your hands, legs, feet, fingers, or toes. Numbness might be more noticeable when you're resting. Pain, aching, or burning in your lower extremities when you're active.
Gabapentin is a drug used in the treatment of nerve pain (neuropathic pain) in multiple sclerosis. It's often used to treat altered sensations (dysaesthesia) like numbness, burning or pins and needles.
The Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) is a 19 item observational measure used by physical therapists and other health care professionals to assess upper extremity performance (coordination, dexterity and functioning) in stroke recovery, brain injury and multiple sclerosis populations.
The result is that when you move your head, especially forward towards your chest, the movement makes the damaged nerve fire off signals to your brain. You feel these signals as pain or an unusual buzzing or shock-like sensation, even though nothing is actually causing harm to the nerve.
Tightness or stiffness of the muscles, called spasticity, is caused directly by MS. Spasticity will alter walking and cause pulling on the joints. This can result in pain typically in the ankles, knees, hips and back.
MS-related itching can happen anywhere on the body and can affect one or both sides. It most commonly affects the face, torso, arms, and legs.
What are the early symptoms of multiple sclerosis?
Spinal cord inflammation, or what's called partial transverse myelitis, is the second most common symptom Shoemaker typically sees. "You may experience numbness, tingling, weakness in the arms and legs, bladder dysfunction and/or difficulty walking," he explains.
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
You can spend it on whatever you need, such as paying for support to remain independent during relapses, or to help with extra costs such as heating, transport or help around the house. Some people with MS assume they can't get PIP because they're 'not disabled enough'.
Tests for multiple sclerosis (MS)
Tests you may have include: checks on your movement, coordination, vision, balance and reflexes. blood tests. an MRI scan to see if there is damage to the nerves in your brain or spinal cord.
Fatigue is the most common and debilitating symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS) and is believed to be distinctly different from fatigue seen in other chronic conditions. It can affect a patient's mood, sleep and have a detrimental effect on their quality of life.