Causes of muscle weakness in multiple sclerosis

The reason you’re able to walk, put on your clothes, and grab a glass off your kitchen shelf is because of the connection between your brain and muscles. Your brain controls the action, sending electrical signals to your muscles via a network of nerves. Those signals tell your muscles to move.

When you have multiple sclerosis (MS), your immune system attacks your nerves. It destroys myelin, an insulating substance that surrounds and protects nerve fibers.

As myelin is damaged, scar tissue can form on the nerves. This can prevent nerve signals from traveling correctly from your brain to certain parts of your body.

Nerve damage can leave your muscles stiff or weak, reducing your ability to move and perform everyday activities. The weakness often occurs only on one side of your body or just in your legs or trunk.

Weakness, like other MS symptoms, may come and go as you experience flare-ups and remissions during the course of the disease.

When nerve fibers are damaged, your brain can’t effectively send your muscles the signals they need to flex or contract. As a result, you won’t be able to properly use these muscles.

Also, your muscles weaken when you don’t use them. Even muscles that aren’t directly affected by MS can become weak if symptoms like fatigue and pain prevent you from moving and exercising them. Over time, your muscles can get weaker and weaker.

Some people with MS find that their muscles tire more easily than usual. For example, someone with MS might find that their legs might start to feel unstable or they may have trouble moving them after periods of exercise, like walking.

Sometimes MS affects the muscles of the foot, making it hard to walk in a normal heel-toe pattern. As a result, your foot may drag on the ground when you walk. This is called drop foot or foot drop.

How to treat muscle weakness

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