studies suggest that half the people with relapsing-remitting ms will need some assistance with walking within 15 years of their diagnosis. Gait problems in ms are caused by a variety of factors. ms frequently causes fatigue, which can limit walking endurance.
Walking impairment is one of the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Many people with MS experience difficulties with walking, as well as their gait (walking pattern). These problems may cause a person to walk unsteadily, trip or stumble, and feel less confident in their ability to move around.
Eighty percent of people who have multiple sclerosis (MS) experience problems with walking within 10 to 15 years of the onset of disease, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS).
Communicating with friends and family can help you relate your condition to them, but there is nothing better than connecting with other people that are living with MS. There are MS Focus support groups in many communities that offer meetings. There are also support groups online if you can't make an in-person meeting.
MS does affect gait, mobility, muscle strength, and flexibility, but not for everyone. Research shows that only one in three people with MS use wheelchairs two decades following diagnosis.
A person with benign MS will have few symptoms or loss of ability after having MS for about 15 years, while most people with MS would be expected to have some degree of disability after that amount of time, particularly if their MS went untreated.
In MS , the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerve fibers.
ms frequently causes fatigue, which can limit walking endurance. ms damage to nerve pathways may hamper coordination and/or cause weakness, poor balance, numbness, or spasticity (abnormal increase in muscle tone). Visual or cognitive problems can also interfere with walking.
Your chances of getting disability with MS are high if you have enough medical evidence to back up your claim that you can no longer work anymore because of your MS and you have enough work credits in order to qualify for disability.
The three biggest concerns related to footwear for MS are sensory issues, balance issues, and motor weakness, Dr. Pfeffer says.
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.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) triggers that worsen symptoms or cause a relapse can include stress, heart disease and smoking. While some are easier to avoid than others, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and overall health and wellness can have outsized benefits for MS patients.
Exercise strengthens the muscles that help you walk. It also eases fatigue, boosts mood, and improves quality of life in people with MS. There's even some evidence that strength training might help slow MS damage in the brain. An exercise program for MS includes 150 minutes of "aerobics" each week.
Take meds as directed. The drugs your doctor prescribes help slow your MS from getting worse and help prevent relapses. If you have side effects, don't just stop taking them.
People with MS can benefit from at least 30 minutes of physical activity at least three days a week. For someone with MS , exercise that's too aggressive can bring on severe fatigue and injury and exacerbate symptoms.
Increased napping during the day due to fatigue. Reduced physical activity due to fatigue and MS-related disability. Emotional changes including stress, anxiety or depression. Other MS symptoms including restless legs, pain, urinary or bowel symptoms, and temperature dysregulation.
Many people with MS may live for 25 to 35 years or longer after their diagnosis. Survival is improving in MS patients, but chronic medical conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, depression, or diabetes may lower life expectancy in MS.
Most people with MS can expect to live as long as people without MS, but the condition can affect their daily life. For some people, the changes will be minor.
Effect of MS on Life Span
In the population studied, people with MS had a median life span of 75.9 years, while for people without MS, it was 83.4 years.