Multiple Sclerosis

Fatigue in MS is much more than just tiredness. It’s an overwhelming exhaustion that isn’t relieved by rest and can hit you even after minimal activity. It can make even simple tasks feel demanding, and it significantly impacts daily life for many people.

This can feel like pins and needles, itching, a limb being “asleep”, or loss of feeling.

These sensations often appear in the arms, legs, or face, and may affect one side of the body more than the other. Numbness can range from mild to severe, and in some cases it can interfere with daily activities. The tingling and numbness can come and go, or happen for extended periods.

Muscle weakness is a hallmark symptom of MS. It stems from damage to the myelin sheath, the protective layer surrounding nerve fibres. This damage disrupts the signals traveling between your brain and muscles, leading to reduced strength, muscles that tire quickly, and balance and coordination issues.

Vision problems are common in MS, affecting half of those diagnosed. This can be due to inflammed optic nerves (optic neuritis) causing pain, blurry vision, and colour distortion, or damage to the brain areas controlling eye movement leading to double vision or jerky, involuntary eye movements (nystagmus).

Reduced mobility can impact everything from walking and balance to simple movements like getting up from a chair. This stems from various MS symptoms like muscle weakness, stiffness (spasticity), fatigue, and numbness.