Goals of physiotherapy

Symptoms

Multiple sclerosis is a disease with many faces. Due to the different forms of progression and the complex functions that the brain and spinal cord take on, the symptoms can be present in different ways. However, there are many characteristics that are typical and common for the disease.

These include visual disturbances such as double images, blurred vision, disturbances in color vision or pain when changing the direction of vision, perception disorders such as tingling and numbness in the trunk and limbs, muscle weakness, which can lead to paralysis, stiffness, spasticity and pain, especially in the later course of the disease. It can also lead to motor disorders, such as the development of tremor (trembling), ataxia (insecurity in movements) and gait disorders, as well as the development of fatigue (exhaustion syndrome), whereby the affected person has to struggle with great tiredness, listlessness and exhaustion, a disorder of the bladder muscles and a large number of different pain symptoms. The pain can be both direct and indirect consequences of the disease.

Direct consequences are, for example, pain caused by an inflammation (pain when seeing through an inflamed optic nerve). Indirect pain can be pain that occurs as a result of stiffening in the muscles and leads to pain during movements. To what extent and at what time the various symptoms occur during the course of the disease is difficult to predict and varies from patient to patient. If you would like to know more about the signs of multiple sclerosis, we recommend our page on: Symptoms of multiple sclerosis Another disease of the peripheral nerves is polyneuropathy. If you would like to know more about this, please read this article

Physiotherapy for neuropathy or causes of polyneuropathy

Signs of MS

The signs of MS depend on the location of the inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. The first signs of the disease manifest themselves gradually and often recede completely at the beginning, so that those affected do not consult a doctor directly. In more than 30% of all patients with MS, the disease begins with sensitivity disorders such as tingling or numbness in the legs or arms.

Another common symptom is various forms of visual disturbances such as blurred vision and double vision up to temporary blindness. Rather less frequently, but still significantly more often, MS manifests itself for the first time in the form of balance and walking disorders, as well as a strong feeling of weakness in the legs and general exhaustion. As the MS symptoms are not clearly expressed, early diagnosis is often difficult, as many other diseases can also trigger the symptoms. In addition to a detailed medical history, the MRI is an important factor in diagnosis, as it can provide information about possible centres of inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. So if typical symptoms of MS appear for the first time and a suspicion already exists, this should definitely be clarified by a doctor.