What are Common MS Symptoms?
MS affects everyone differently. The location of inflammation and demyelination can affect how many and how severe the MS symptoms are. Some people experience a lot of these symptoms; others only a few. Even when there are no symptoms, there is progression of damage to the central nervous system over time. That’s why it’s important to stay on therapy if you have MS. There is a wide range of treatments for MS symptoms. Please check with your doctor about which treatments might right for you. MS symptoms may include:
MS Symptom: Optic Neuritis
This is an inflammation of the optic nerve, the nerve that controls the eye. Over a period of days, you may develop blurred vision. You may feel pain behind your eye, which increases when you turn your eye.
MS Symptom: Loss of Muscle Strength in Arms and Legs
Many people with multiple sclerosis lose muscle strength in the arms and legs as the disease progresses. The loss can range from reduced dexterity (the fingers no longer work so well) to paralysis of an arm or leg. Loss of muscle strength occurs not only in the form of relapses (temporary attacks), but also as a gradual (progressive) process without recovery. Depending on the severity, you may need to rely on a cane, crutches, or even a wheelchair to get around.
MS Symptom: Affecting the Sense of Touch
The vast nervous system includes many sensory nerve fibers dedicated to helping you be aware of your environment. They provide the sense of touch in your fingers, and your ability to feel cold or heat on all parts of your body. When these fibers are damaged by multiple sclerosis, your sense of touch may be replaced by feelings of numbness or tingling. Parts of your body may feel burning or cold, even though there is no heat or chill present. MS symptoms can be temporary (relapses) or more progressive, and can occur in various parts of the body.
MS Symptom: Pain
Multiple sclerosis can be accompanied by various kinds of pain. Damage to the sensory tracts in the spinal cord can result in burning pain in the arms and legs. MS can often result in damage to the nerves of the face, a painful condition known as "trigeminal neuralgia." If multiple sclerosis has impaired your ability to walk, the extra strain in the muscles of your back and legs can become painful. MS can also cause extra tension in the muscles of your arms and legs: this is known as "spasticity" and can also be painful.
MS Symptom: The Muscles Controlling Bladder and Bowels
Many people with multiple sclerosis develop trouble controlling the urge to urinate or become unable to completely empty the bladder. Less frequently, they experience problems with bowel control. As multiple sclerosis progresses, people with MS may also be troubled with constipation.
MS Symptom: Sexual Dysfunction
Having multiple sclerosis can lead to problems related to sexual activity. Men with MS can find it difficult to achieve or maintain an erection. In women, MS often causes a loss of sexual sensitivity, pain during intercourse, an inability to achieve an orgasm, or a reduction in naturally produced lubrication.
MS Symptom: Balance/Coordination
The part of the brain known as the cerebellum controls and corrects all our movements. Damage from multiple sclerosis can result in poor balance or coordination. You may, for instance, have difficulty grasping small objects, writing clearly, or keeping a steady hand. When walking across a room, you may find yourself losing your balance, as if you were drunk. Like most other MS symptoms, these problems can be temporary (during a relapse), or they can be a permanent result of the progression of MS.
MS Symptom: Fatigue
Many people with MS experience fatigue or tiredness. But since fatigue can be a sign of many other diseases too, it is not often immediately identified as being caused by multiple sclerosis. Fatigue occurs in both relapsing MS and in the more progressive types of the disease. It often lasts for a few months during which time your energy is used up every day with just a little exertion.
MS Symptom: Cognitive Function
At some point in the course of your multiple sclerosis, you may notice changes in cognitive function, such as memory and speed of thinking. You may also have trouble concentrating. In some people with MS, these symptoms can occur early in the disease. In others, they can come later.
MS Symptom: Mood Changes
Many people with multiple sclerosis experience periods of depression. Sometimes it is linked directly to physical changes in the brain. Understandably, it may also be an emotional reaction to having the illness and learning to cope with the symptoms and the challenges they represent. If you are experiencing feelings of depression or hopelessness, talk to your doctor. Treatment for depression is available.
