What does MS do to the body?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that is known to put strain on your body. Whether you have relapses or gradually worsening symptoms, MS will often take a toll on your physical health and can vary a lot between individuals.

We’ll help you to understand in this blog some of the things MS can do to the body, as well as ways used to help manage these changes.

Mobility issues

MSers who experience symptoms can have their ability to move about affected (whether that’s going out into town or just getting from one room to another in your home).

Mobility issues can range from losing you balance a bit more often to having to use a mobility aid, but each case is as individual as the person with MS. This can range from

• Needing just a little bit more support when walking which can be remedied by using a cane (no more than 50% of your weight should be on this to walk properly)
• Still being able to walk but needing to put more than 50% of your weight into an aid, something like a walker can make a big difference here
• Or not being able to reliably walk even with use of an aid – this is where a wheelchair or electric scooter would help you gain your independence back in getting around

Problems with eyesight

Often one of the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis, the disease can affect your vision negatively.

A very frequent example of this among MSers is in optic neuritis, something that a study found 1/3 of a sample of 11 million people with this condition would eventually be diagnosed with MS Within the next 10 years. You might experience things such as blurring of vision and pain that occurs behind the eyes which will of course impact your life.

Those with more severe cases of demyelination (where the protective sheath around the nerves that protects messages traveling across your body becomes damaged by the immune system) can experience partial or full blindness as MS progresses. This is because the immune system can also affect optic nerves, leading to permanent damage.

Feeling fatigued

Lastly for this blog, the symptom of fatigue can have a huge impact on your body.

Fatigue makes it hard to do everyday things and can be very frustrating. It’s more than just feeling tired, it’s where you’re drained of all energy to do anything. Not being able to use your body like you once could also leads to things like muscle wastage.

Not only is your body affected, but often your mental health as it contributes to feelings of depression and loneliness since you may find it way harder to do things that were once simple such as socialising with friends and family.

Ways to help manage these changes

Whilst all of the possibilities we’ve mentioned can cause changes to your body, there are solutions out there to minimise their impact.

Walking aids

We touched on this previously, but walking aids help in maintaining your independence getting around. Although it’s easy to do, assuming you’ll be bound to a chair isn’t always the case for everyone so try not to let yourself panic about this possibility.

Home adaptations

In addition to these, it may also be a good idea to look into home adaptations to make your life indoors a bit easier too. Simple things like handrails in the bathroom or a ramp leading up to your home can improve your quality of life and are well worth looking into.

Medications

Medicines like Disease Modifying Therapies (DMTs) can be used to help manage symptoms and reduce the frequency and severity of relapses. There are a variety out there and it may take some trial and error to find the right one that works for you.

Complementary therapies

As well as taking medications, there are other therapies that aren’t prescribed by a medical professional.

MSers who take part in our online activities portal find that weekly classes like chair yoga and meditation can help in keeping them active and in practicing mindfulness. There are many more therapies, both in person and online, that others with MS find make a big difference to people’s life.

If you’d like to know more about what MS-UK offers online as well as other resources we think you’ll find interesting, then click the buttons below!