If you're right/left handed, is that your stronger hand?

Everyday living
1

Morning all

If you have one arm or leg that’s stronger than the other one, is that the same as your naturally dominant hand or foot?

I’m right handed & footed, and it’s my right arm and leg that are much stronger than my left arm & leg. So I’m just wondering if other people are mostly the same as me with this, for no other reason than just curiosity.

Dan

2

I don’t think it works like that Dan, my left side was affected originally and that is my weak side but my right side was affected later and my right hand seems to the weakest at present. It appears to be on which side of the brain the lesions appear and where on the spine. I am working on my right hand and it appears to be improving though.

Wendy

x

3

Hadn’t really thought about it, but now you come to mention it, I’m right-handed and it’s the left side of my body that is weaker, noticing it especially in my hand and leg just now. My first major symptom was ON in my left eye, and generally, it is the left side that is affected - I have had relapses affecting my right side, but not as often as my left.

Luisa x

4

Hi Dan,

I’m right handed and my right leg would have been my strongest but I lost all use of my right side my right side was numb and powerless I had to learn to use my left hand hand that was so hard I can do just about anything with my left now but I just can’t write with it slowly after about 2 years I started to get the use of my right side back again I’m learning to use my right hand again all my upper body strength Is the same I still have a weakness in my right leg but I can live with what.

Mark

5

Hi Dan,

I’m with Wendy on this. I think it purely depends where the lesions form - a lottery, in other words.

Obviously, lesions affecting your dominant side, particularly the dominant hand, tend to affect you more, because that’s the side you favour in everyday life.

Tina

6

Hi Dan,

I was right footed and right handed as the majority of the population pre ms, then ms hit, then had to become ambidextrus because I had no choice. Even now both my hands are relatively weak, same with the feet because of vertigo and unbalance due to ms lesions. Most msers have to make changes according to where is weakest, especially when other symptoms appear. Like eyes, we have to relearn to either use one eye whilst ON is active then if resultant damage learn to decipher the world in a new way. I use prisms as I now have nastygmus.

I think originally we were one or the other but ms makes it impossible to have dominant bits (unless hardly affected) because other parts of the brain tend to try take over and in time we use what we have left.

Best wishes

bren

x

7

I’m left handed and its my right side that is most affected. If I was right handed I wouldn’t be able to write, cos I can’t hold a pen in my right hand. I am often quite relieved that my stronger hand is OK. Lynne xx

8

I’m right-handed and it’s my right side that’s mostly affected. Agree with others that it just where the lesions are.

Pat x

9

Hi, I’m a bit strange in this respect because I write with my right hand but use my left for everything else, I always have done, my dad does this too and my daughter although to a slightly lesser extent. In the days when I could use my legs I favoured my left leg too. My right arm isn’t as good as it once was although not really noticeably so but I sometimes wonder if I over compensate by using my left one because I think I favour the left more than I used to if that makes sense. Cheryl:)

10

I am ampidextrous and initially it was only my right side that was affected by the MS. But now both sides are equally weak so I guess the MS has made me ampidextrously even again

B