Bodily Functions Affected

Symptoms can be characterized by the bodily functions that they affect:

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Sensory symptoms include numbness, tingling, and other abnormal sensations such as pain, visual disturbances, sexual disturbances, and dizziness. Many people are unusually sensitive to heat.

Motor symptoms are those that involve muscle coordination, such as weakness, difficulty walking, tremor, and stiffness. Fatigue is very common.

Mental fatigue is common, too; many MS patients report cognitive changes such as slowed thinking and an inability to concentrate. Emotional upset, including depression, may result from all of the other symptoms.

An important symptom of MS is spasticity, involuntary muscle contractions that result in muscle spasms or stiffness. Spasticity interferes with voluntary muscle movement and usually involves the muscles of the legs and/or arms. Spasticity is the result of an imbalance in the central nervous system that causes hyperactive muscle stretch reflexes, which lead to involuntary contractions and increased muscle tone. In the long term, severe spasticity may cause decreased range of motion in the affected limbs.