MS Symptoms: Fatigue, Numbness, Balance Problems, and More

In multiple sclerosis, or MS, your immune system attacks myelin, the fatty tissue that surrounds and protects nerve fibers.

This causes scar tissue (sclerosis, also called plaque or lesions) to form on nerve fibers, disrupting the flow of electrical impulses throughout the nervous system.

This nerve damage can lead to a broad range of MS symptoms, from blurred vision to numbness to weakness to loss of balance and more.

For people with relapsing-remitting MS, symptoms can worsen significantly, and new symptoms may arise, during relapses, or periods of acute inflammation in the central nervous system.

For people with primary-progressive MS, symptoms get steadily worse from the beginning, although how quickly they get worse varies from person to person.

Overheating, caused by fever, hot baths, or sun exposure, and stress can also trigger or temporarily worsen MS symptoms. When the body cools back down, or the stress is alleviated, the symptoms generally abate as well.