Managing Sensory Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

Health Envoy's Blog

• By Chris Iliades, MD / Reviewed by Farrokh Sohrabi, MD

Sensory symptoms are among the most common symptoms of MS. Find out what they mean, what triggers them, and what can be done to manage MS sensory issues. 

Some of the most distressing and even frightening symptoms of multiple sclerosis are sensory disturbances -- sensations that can run the gamut from numbness to tingling to burning pain. They're also common.
MS attacks the nerves, so anyone with MS is apt to experience various types of altered feeling or touch. However, whether these hypersensitivities come and go or linger, a range of strategies can help with managing MS sensory issues.

Types of Heightened Sensations in MS

People with MS experience three basic types of sensory symptoms , says Fred D. Lublin, MD, professor of neurology and director of the Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. "Loss of sensation causes numbness, abnormal sensation can cause tingling, painful sensation feels like burning," he says.
These symptoms may come and go, or they may come and stay. "If they're symptoms caused by old nerve damage, they may flare up during periods of fatigue or illness, and then go away with rest and recovery,” Dr. Lublin explains.

Common sensory disturbances of MS, which usually affect an area of your face, body, arms, or legs, include these feelings:

• Pins and needles
• Tingling
• Crawling sensations
• Hypersensitivity to touch
• Burning sensations
• Band-like tightness, called girdling or an MS hug 

Corinne Sheh of Maynard, Mass., frequently struggles with such sensory symptoms. “My first MS symptoms were pins and needles in my legs," says Sheh, who was diagnosed with MS in 2007 at the age of 25. "Now I get numbness and tingling in my right hand and a feeling of tightness around my chest -- my MS hug."
She also experiences Lhermitte’s sign, an electric-shock-like or stabbing sensation that some people get when they bend their head forward. “It feels like a zipper being opened from my neck down my spine,” Sheh says.

These symptoms rarely become permanent, but they can be dangerous. Sensory symptoms in your legs can cause a fall. Numbness in your hands can cause you to drop things and may put you at risk for being burned by scalding water, for instance. Numbness in your face may be dangerous when chewing.
For Sheh, who's now the mother of a 2-year-old and a 3-year old, sensory symptoms have presented new problems. "What I worry about most is falling on the stairs or dropping one of the babies,” she says.

Managing MS Sensory Issues

So what can you do? Medications are available to help some symptoms. Though there isn't a drug to treat numbness, neurological pain may respond to anticonvulsant medications such as gabapentin or pregabalin, Lublin says. Antidepressants are also sometimes used to treat pain or girdling sensations, and steroids may help control sensory symptoms due to new nerve inflammation.
Like the symptoms themselves, though, response of the various drugs is very individual.
“I have never found any medications that help with my sensory symptoms," Sheh says. "I have learned to avoid triggers like stress, fatigue, and hot, humid weather. The best treatment for me is rest and an ice pack. A swim in the ocean or a cool pool also helps.”
Heat as well as cold may help, according to the National MS Society -- a warm compress may turn painful sensations into warm sensations. Massage is also worth trying.
Other ways to avoid or manage sensory symptoms include:

• Doing your best to stay healthy. Illnesses, like a cold or the flu, are common triggers for MS symptoms.
• Not becoming overheated.
• Getting plenty of rest. 
• Getting enough niacin, one of the B vitamins. Some people find it offers some relief.
• Taking a daily over-the-counter pain reliever if your doctor recommends it.
• Wearing pressure stockings or a tight glove, which may convert painful sensations to pressure sensations.
• Wearing a soft cervical collar, which may prevent Lhermitte’s sign.

Learning your unique triggers for sensory symptoms may be the best way to manage them.  And, if you're struggling with these symptoms, if they're new, or if they're not going away, talk with your MS doctor.

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