Your questions answered What is spasticity?
My wife has suffered from ms for the last ten years (6 years diagnosed) and when she tries to explain to me how it affects her thigh she says her skin feels as if its burning all the time. Is this the nerve endings fusing? Also she has a dropped foot which is the main cause of her tripping all the time.
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MS Trust Nurse Advisor, Vicki Matthews answer:
It is very difficult sometimes for people with MS to describe what they are experiencing but what your wife does describe is not uncommon for people with MS. this sense of burning is due to inflammation, damage or scarring to the part of the central nervous system that deals with sensation. We have two groups of nerves; one that sort out our movement (motor nerves) and one set that deals with how we sense the world (sensory nerves). They work together and are co-ordinated by the higher centres of the brain. Any MS damage that interferes with these nerve pathways can create a sensation of pain, discomfort or just plain odd feelings. It is not so much the nerve ends fusing as the damage MS has caused on the nerve fibres or within the brain itself. There are a number of medications that can help with this if it is very uncomfortable for your wife.
The foot drop can cause people to trip and fall and your wife should see a specialist physiotherapist to be assessed for ankle orthosis (a type of splint) or for FES (a kind of electrical stimulator) to see if they will help. Sometimes people with MS lose sense of balance and position in their feet without realising it and this can make them trip and fall, so it is important she has the correct assessment to prevent her from falling over.