Numb legs and walking

I’m experiencing numbness in my legs from toes to my belly. I can still walk etc but just feels like my legs aren’t there…feels so weird!

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Morning!

I know what you mean - I’ve had this. A weird psychological effect for me was starting to think of myself as “less real”. Because when you can’t feel yourself in contact with the ground you walk on, you have less sense of reality. Literally less “grounded”.

Not to the extent of needing psychiatric help or anything; I did know I was still me, and that I just wasn’t getting as much feedback about the world as I usually do.

But it was very strange, as you say.

Do be careful on stairs, particularly (I found I often missed my footing, because I couldn’t tell if my foot was on the tread properly - I had to keep looking down to check).

Also be careful about stepping into a bath, because I found I couldn’t tell if it was too hot. I could if I tested with some other part of the body, but not if I dipped a toe. :frowning:

All alright again now, so fingers crossed yours will get better too.

Tina

x

I’ve not been as numb as you, but I think one of the reasons it feel so weird is that the information feedback loop to and from the skin surface is disrupted, so the usual effortless awareness of where bits of you are in space is disrupted too. I remember having to check visually where my feet were all the time and also getting to the top of a staircase at work to find that one of my shoes was still at the bottom. Hope it eases off for you soon.

Alison

x

Ooh I can sympathise! Was one of my first relapses, numb up to my chest! It does feel weird, my feet felt l was walking on pebbles the whole time too. It did go away though, after about a month. Hopefully it will for you too! Xx

In my experience, it does *usually" wear off, though I’ve never regained the feeling in my fingertips since my first attack, 17 years ago. Do take on board what has been said about temperature - I rasonably frequently lose the ability to tell hot from cold in my limbs, and indeed wet from dry, so do take care with the bath water. Good luck - I’m sure it will pass

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I’ve had this twice, the first time it wore off gradually over 6 weeks, this time it started in June and I still have it, though the area has reduced over time. I am always standing on things cause I don’t sense them under my feet before I put my full weight down, many of my sons lego models have been affected! I can’t go on ladders etc either as too dangerous!

Having a completely numb leg was one of my first symptoms, ended up in hospital for 7 weeks and came out worse than I went in. Pleased to say I got the feeling back eventually but now my right foot is numb. It will go when it’s ready.

I know this feeling (or lack thereof)!

Numbness was my first symptom and now I am in my first relapse since diagnosis (RRMS Feb 2012), it has returned. I’ve been trying to find ways to describe it to people as it is not pins-and-needles and not full numbess. So far I’ve come up with:

~ It feels like a blocked ear feels: sort of fuzzy, in that sensation gets through, but it feels like it comes through a filter.

~ It feels like I’m wearing a wet-suit UNDER my skin, in that I can feel very light touch on my skin, but the accompanying deeper sensation is missing.

~ It feels like my legs are buzzing, like they’ve got vibrators inside them!

Does anyone else have good / bizarre descriptions? This is certainly a sensation I never felt prior to MS, so I’m struggling to explain to family and friends just how damned odd it feels!

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I suffer with numbness in my legs too when they ‘tingle’ it feels like lots of tiny spiders running around inside my legs, when I went numb from the waist down with my last relapse the numbness got so intense it felt like my legs and feet were thick and the nerve pain was so intense the skin felt sore and I was hyper sensitive to anything thats touched me, and the soles of my feet like I had permanent platform shoes on, I could still walk too but incredibly unsteady so used crutches if there was nothing to hold on to, I couldnt drive either :frowning: 8 months later it feels like someone has sewn on leather to the underneath of my feet, I can walk as normal now and drive just feels odd!

I guess its something we need to learn to tollerate and live with x

I too suffer with numbness in my legs never regained full feeling after a major relapse 14 years ago. I also find if I try and do too much it feels like I’ve got tight elastic bands round the bottom half of my legs & feet, feels even worse when they are cold. Like Sheena says it’s something we learn to live with & tollerate, not much else can be done unfortunatlet :frowning: xx

Thanks everyone! I’ve just joined this site and now realize that I’m not alone lol! My last relaspe started in October and I am numb from the waist down. My legs felt so heavy and stairs are a problem. Going any distance was exhausting. I had cognitive symtoms for the first time as well. I felt like I was living with a poltergiest. Things got turned on and off with absolute no memory of doing it. I also got the buzzing in my left foot. It just started one day and carried on for about a day and a half. As regular as a heartbeat. Drove me nuts!! Then just stopped for no reason. I’ve had steriods now and although things have improved, I’m still numb mid thigh down. Been given the choice to go on Interferon. I am thinking I might give the Rebif a whirl. Although before now it hasn’t felt quite real and now they are suggesting self injecting it has hit home a little. Feels like a ‘real’ illness now. (If you know what I mean lol!)

Hi Kitty,

Interesting you should say about the regular buzzing, because mine was too, but the neuro seemed to think I was slightly mad when I mentioned it.

I timed it once, and it was every eight seconds, to the second, and it buzzed for exactly three seconds!

It wasn’t in time with either heartbeat or breathing, as I experimented with holding my breath and varying my heart rate, and none of it made any difference to the timing of the buzzes. There certainly seemed to be some kind of internal clock controlling them, but it wasn’t my heart!

Totally weird!

Tina

x

Hello and good afternoon,

I experienced numbness down my whole left leg, foot and hand and it lasted about six weeks and I am now back to ‘normal’ as they say. I also had what felt like tight elastic bands around my left foot but that too has gone thankfully.

I was under a lot of stress with work due to having the worst boss ever but has now gone.

I hope the numbness goes away soon.

Love

Martina x

Hello and good afternoon,

I experienced numbness down my whole left leg, foot and hand and it lasted about six weeks and I am now back to ‘normal’ as they say. I also had what felt like tight elastic bands around my left foot but that too has gone thankfully.

I was under a lot of stress with work due to having the worst boss ever but has now gone.

I hope the numbness goes away soon.

Love

Martina x

I notice there are trials to see what effect textured insoles have on helping people with MS walk. As it is a 3 year trial might be worth those with numb feet giving it a go, I will. Hopefully they may stimulate the nerves and help with balance.

Keep well all,

Peter

I remember both legs being completely numb last Xmas, it went away after 2-3 weeks and was fine although my right leg seems to be getting the symptoms as of today. The morning was alright but as I finished work (I’m a carer) I can definitely tell and feel something is not right. My leg feels heavy, feels like a weird mixture of hot/cold and has a weird tingly feeling. Just try to get through it day by day.

Sleeping at the moment is non existent… spasticity in my legs is at its worse. I have never had it this bad before and now awoke this morning at 3.30am to intense pain in my right foot. Does anyone have any ideas on how to relieve these symptoms? I do not take any kind of disease modifying drugs.

Are you taking any drugs for spasms Angela?

I take Baclofen plus Cloneazepam at night. Cloneazepam is the drug that really made a difference to my sleeping. Prior to that, I was waking up at night almost every night with really painful spasms. That is mostly now a thing of the past.

Many people swear by magnesium for their tight spasming legs. Either magnesium supplements or oil applied directly to the skin. I don’t think I could use oil because I’d find it difficult the next day to make FES electrodes stick to my skin.

The other thing is heat, when I’m too hot in bed my legs are much more likely to spasm, so maybe try a cooling spray or change to cooler bedclothes?

It’s a horrible thing to lay there wide awake in the middle of the night in pain and with legs thinking it’s a good time to try Irish dancing!

Sue

No problems with my legs but I get a numb face on the left side, as if I’ve been to the dentist and been shot with novocaine

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High Yes I have this, I hate it , I feel like I walk like a thunderbirds puppet, Occasionally I catch sight of myself in a shop window It’s strange I think it changes the way I look Plus I walked straight off the top of a flight of stairs It was if my legs forgot how to walk down stairs