What is MS? - MS Trust
Apr 1, 2022 · MS is a disease affecting the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord). It’s estimated that more than 150,000 people in the UK have MS. Every week around 135 more people are diagnosed. It’s nearly three times more common in women than in men. Most people are diagnosed in their 30s and 40s but it can be diagnosed in younger and ...
How is MS diagnosed? - MS Trust
Jul 23, 2024 · The most common next step is an magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) of your brain. Your neurologist may ask for a spinal cord scan if they feel it is appropriate. An MRI scan can detect the scars caused by MS. These are called lesions and everyone gets more of these white patches in their brain as they get older.
MS signs and symptoms - MS Trust
Jan 2, 2024 · strange skin sensations (including numbness, tingling, pins and needles, a crawling feeling) balance and coordination problems. vision problems. walking difficulties. thinking and memory difficulties. muscle spasms and stiffness. bladder and bowel problems. temperature sensitivity. low mood and emotional problems (including depression and anxiety)
What's with the strange tingling, crawling, burning and prickling ...
It has got nothing to do with your skin. It’s due to nerve damage in the brain and spinal cord caused by your MS. The brain can’t work out the signals it's receiving, so interprets them as sensations your body has felt before, like being squeezed or burnt. Or it latches onto something you can imagine, such as ants walking up your leg.
Exercise and MS - MS Trust
Apr 26, 2017 · We share the experiences of people with MS who have found that staying active has had a positive impact on their life. These pages look at how being active can help people with MS. As everyone's MS is different, so is their capacity for exercise. Whether you feel able to practice some gentle stretches or train for marathons, you will find that ...
Spasticity and spasms - MS Trust
Mar 15, 2024 · A spasm is a sudden involuntary tightening or contraction of a muscle. Any muscle can be affected but spasms and spasticity affecting the arms, legs or back are most common. Spasticity and spasms can range from mild to severe and can vary over time, even throughout the day. The symptoms can be annoying, uncomfortable and unpredictable.
Disease modifying drugs (DMDs) - MS Trust
Disease modifying drugs (DMDs) are a group of treatments for people with multiple sclerosis. Most DMDs are for people with relapsing remitting MS (RRMS), but there are some that are licenced for use by people with progressive MS. For people with RRMS, disease modifying drugs reduce the number of relapses you might experience as well as reducing ...
Steroids (methylprednisolone) - MS Trust
Mar 1, 2022 · Steroids (also known as corticosteroids) may be used to treat relapses in multiple sclerosis. Methylprednisolone is the steroid most often prescribed. Not all relapses need treatment as, in most cases, the symptoms will gradually improve on their own. If the symptoms of your relapse are causing significant problems, such as affecting your ...
Kesimpta (ofatumumab) - MS Trust
May 1, 2022 · Kesimpta (ofatumumab) is a disease modifying drug (DMD) for relapsing remitting MS.. You take Kesimpta as an injection under the skin once a month. It reduces the number of relapses by about two thirds (70%).. Common side effects include injection site reactions, injection-related reactions, head colds, chest infections and urinary tract infections.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) - MS Trust
Mar 1, 2020 · Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a treatment that applies small electrical charges to a muscle that has become paralysed or weakened, due to damage in your brain or spinal cord. The electrical charge stimulates the muscle to make its usual movement. In MS it is mostly used as a treatment for foot drop, where disruptions in the nerve pathways between the legs and brain mean the front ...