Common Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with symptoms that can affect almost anything from head to toes. The disease is so variable that no two people with MS are likely to have exactly the same combination of symptoms. As MS symptoms mimic dozens of other conditions, it is also important to consider that this list is not exclusive to MS.

Here are 50 of the most common MS symptoms:

Sensory problems

• Abnormal sensations (dysesthesias)
• Numbness, tingling, burning, or tightness
• Pins and needles
• Severe itchiness (pruritus)
• Hypersensitivity to touch
• Pain - acute or chronic, mild to severe
• Loss of proprioception (sense of body position in space)
• Inability to detect vibrations
• Impaired sense of taste or smell
• Trigeminal neuralgia - stabbing pain in the face
• L’Hermitte’s sign - electrical shock-like sensation running down the spine and into the limbs when you bend your neck forward or backward
• The MS hug

Motor problems

• Loss of strength or muscle weakness
• Loss of muscle tone (hypotonicity) or increased muscle tone (hypertonicity)
• Spasticity - continuously contracted muscles and/or muscle spasms
• Myoclonus - sudden involuntary muscle contractions
• Tremor
• Foot drop
• Problems walking, impaired gait, or mobility problems
• Paralysis
• Loss of balance
• Loss of coordination (ataxia)

For more MS symptoms, read this post in its entirety:

Top 50 MS Symptoms