Six common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are fatigue, numbness or tingling, walking difficulties, muscle stiffness and spasms, vision problems, and bladder problems. Symptoms can vary widely from person to person depending on which part of the central nervous system is affected.
Symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS)
Some of the most common symptoms include: feeling extremely tired (fatigue) problems with your eyes or your vision, such as blurred vision or eye pain. numbness or a tingling feeling in different parts of the body.
What are the early symptoms of multiple sclerosis?
Other more advanced symptoms include hand weakness, wrist drop (difficulty raising hand), curling fingers, poor sensation. You may notice that you drop items or have difficulty gauging how to pick up an item.
Numbness and tingling can occur in your feet, legs, hands, arms or face. In my example, it started in my feet and then spread to my legs.
The hot bath test reflects the effect of heat that many people with MS notice. Hot weather, hot baths or showers, exercising or an infection can all raise your internal body temperature. The raised temperature can cause your MS symptoms to appear or worsen. This is known as Uhthoff's phenomenon.
Some people with MS lose sensation in their tongue. Some health care providers refer to MS-related tongue issues as “MS tongue.” Loss of sensation or numbness can make it difficult to move your tongue when you speak, chew, or swallow. Tongue numbness may also diminish sense of taste.
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.
You cannot test yourself for MS at home. Medical professionals and equipment are needed for an accurate diagnosis. However, tracking and recording your symptoms can help doctors understand what you are experiencing and the conditions that may be linked.
Lhermitte's sign is a type of nerve pain that feels a bit like an electric shock. Some people describe an odd buzzing feeling. It gives you a sudden jolt on the back of your neck and runs down your spine. This sensation may move into your arms and legs and sometimes onto fingers and toes.
There are no specific tests for MS. The diagnosis is given by a combination of medical history, physical exam, MRIs and spinal tap results. A diagnosis of multiple sclerosis also involves ruling out other conditions that might produce similar symptoms.
One of the more obvious first signs of MS is a problem with vision, known as optic neuritis. This is often because it's a more concrete symptom as opposed to vaguer neurological symptoms like numbness and tingling.
What are the early symptoms of MS?
If you have MS and develop coughing and mucus, ask your doctor to check for an infection. Also, if you have MS and a sore throat, don't assume this symptom is from a cold or the flu. See your doctor for an accurate diagnosis. People with MS may also get sicker than others when they become ill.
Stage 1 - Clinically Isolated Syndrome (CIS) or Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS) Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) is characterised by distinct episodes of symptom flare-ups, known as relapses or exacerbations, followed by periods of partial or complete remission where symptoms improve or disappear entirely.
The most common visual issues experienced by people with MS are optic neuritis, double vision and eye movement problems. Optic neuritis is inflammation that damages the optic nerve, a bundle of nerve fibres that transmits visual information from your eye to your brain.
People with MS can experience many kinds of pain. MS tends to cause neuropathic (nerve) pain and/or musculoskeletal (muscle/bone) pain. Neuropathic pain is directly caused by MS. A lesion in the brain or spinal cord can cause nerves to fire inappropriately.
Babinski Reflex. The Babinski Reflex is often used to test MS. Normally when stimulated with a blunt instrument, the toes naturally respond by pointing downwards. In newborns and some people with nerve damage, the big toe points up and the toes splay outwards.
Different tests and specialists can be involved to get to the right answer. If the diagnosis is MS, that can only be made by a neurologist. But other specialist doctors might have been involved to rule out other causes too. Waiting for referrals, tests and test results can all take time.
Multiple sclerosis is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the protective covering of the nerve cells in the brain, optic nerve and spinal cord, called the myelin sheath.
Patients who have MS sometimes lack saliva. Dry mouth makes chewing, swallowing, and speaking more difficult. It can also lead to tooth loss because saliva isn't helping wash away decay-causing food residue and bacteria. Patients with advanced MS often have trouble swallowing.
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.
In MS, other nerves can be affected, so symptoms can happen in any muscle in the hand. Since MS is a CNS condition, it can cause weakness not just in the hand but also throughout the entire arm or other areas. People with MS may develop a condition called claw hand.