Sensory disturbances
Sensory disturbances are caused by injured sensory pathways in the spinal cord. They typically occur in one or more limbs and are common initial symptoms of the condition. Almost universal in advanced stages of MS, they include paresthesia, Lhermitte’s sign, numbness, pain, and itching.
Paresthesia and dysesthesia cause unpleasant sensations that can occur in different regions of the body. These include “pins and needles”, tingling, buzzing and crawling sensations. Sufferers may feel as though they were wearing a tight belt like a girdle around their trunk or a limb, or experience sensations of burning, itching, wetness and swelling.
Numbness may be experienced as the inability to feel light touches, a pinprick or sensations of hot and cold temperatures.
