Neurogenic pain is the most common and distressing of the pain syndromes in MS. This pain is described as constant, boring, burning or tingling intensely. It often occurs in the legs.
This pain often comes and goes and it is unpredictable when it might occur. Lhermitte's sign - a brief, stabbing, electric-shock-like sensation that runs from the back of the head down the spine and often into the arms or legs, brought on by bending the neck forward.
A lot of people with MS experience pain at some time. It varies from person to person and over time, but drug treatments and other therapies can help you cope. Pain can be associated with stiffness or spasms in muscles, or symptoms like Lhermitte's sign, trigeminal neuralgia or optic neuritis.
MS symptoms can come and go and change over time. They can be mild, or more severe. The symptoms of MS are caused by your immune system attacking the nerves in your brain or spinal cord by mistake. These nerves control lots of different parts of your body.
“MS can affect the motor system, altering the way you are able to move and walk,” says Dr. Gutman. Over time, this can lead to muscle spasms, stiffness, soreness, and, ultimately, pain. L'Hermittes sign is another MS symptom that can cause leg pain.
Pain is a common symptom in MS, with up to two-thirds of people with MS reporting pain in worldwide studies. Those who experience pain may find it affects their daily life activities, such as work and recreation, and their mood and enjoyment of life.
Abnormal sensations can be a common initial symptom of MS. This often takes the form of numbness or tingling in different parts of your body, such as the arms, legs or trunk, which typically spreads out over a few days.
I have MS, that's multiple sclerosis to those of you whose lives haven't been touched by it. More specifically, and hey let's be specific, I have primary progressive multiple sclerosis. This means I have symptoms every day, and every night, without any intervals.
The sensation can be lightning-like and intermittent, or it can be a burning, tingling, or a tight, “hug-like” feeling that can be continuous. Surveys for patient pain indicate that the most common pain syndromes experienced in MS are: continuous burning in extremities; headache; back pain; and painful tonic spasms.
Multiple sclerosis can be difficult to diagnose, in large part because it can cause so many different symptoms, some of which mimic the symptoms of a number of other conditions. MS symptoms can also come and go from one day or week to the next, as well as change gradually over time.
People should consider the diagnosis of MS if they have one or more of these symptoms: vision loss in one or both eyes. acute paralysis in the legs or along one side of the body. acute numbness and tingling in a limb.
According to current research and clinical practice, exercise does not cause MS episodes or exacerbations. However, many report an increase in symptoms approximately 30 minutes after exercise. This change in symptoms is not permanent and is not causing any damage.
Treatment: Your doctor may recommend pain relievers and drugs to ease muscle spasms. They may prescribe muscle relaxers, such as baclofen, tizanidine, or diazepam, or recommend spinal infusion pumps of muscle relaxers or pain medication. Even Botox shots can help by temporarily paralyzing a muscle or nerve.
Feeling weakness in one or both of your legs is called monoparesis or paraparesis and can be a direct result of MS. You can also feel weakness in your arms and other areas of your body, but to feel it in your legs often occurs more frequently.
“MS pain that commonly interferes with sleep is neuropathic pain — often described as burning, shooting, searing, or deeply aching. This pain can be relentless and is often worse at night.” Musculoskeletal pain can occur from a compensatory gait pattern (due to leg weakness or foot drop).
MS may cause you to have cramps, stiffness, or pain. Sometimes muscle spasms can cause you to limp, or your legs may lock up and stop working entirely.
Neck and back pain: Some people with MS can experience neck and back pain. This may be due to immobility, or to the same type of wear and tear that many people without MS experience. This type of pain is often an aching, stiff sensation that can be moderately severe.
Numbness or Tingling
A lack of feeling or a pins-and-needles sensation can be the first sign of the nerve damage from MS. It usually happens in the face, arms, or legs, and on one side of the body. It also tends to go away on its own.
From day to day, those with multiple sclerosis (MS) will have their good days and then have some bad days. This type of fluxuation is common and it's always a bit random because you never really know what the next day is going to be like.
Most symptoms develop abruptly, within hours or days. These attacks or relapses of MS typically reach their peak within a few days at most and then resolve slowly over the next several days or weeks so that a typical relapse will be symptomatic for about eight weeks from onset to recovery.
You may have to adapt your daily life if you're diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), but with the right care and support many people can lead long, active and healthy lives.
A neurologist -- a doctor who specializes in treating the disease -- should be able to help. They'll ask how you're feeling and help you figure out if your symptoms mean you have MS or another problem.
Symptoms of MS can be better or worse at different times of the day. For example, spasticity can worsen at night, while fatigue can worsen during the day and after activities. However, this is unique to each person.