Please can you tell me your experiences with walkign problems? How do your legs feel before they not going to work? Do you get a warning or build up or is it out of the blue? What happens?
Thankyou
Hi,
I think walking problems can take many forms, with MS.
I’ve never had my legs give out on me completely.
In general, my walking is just more laboured - I get disproportionately tired.
I find I get more tired and stiff the further I go, but no, it’s not instant. It’s like if you were doing a long-distance run, it gets progressively harder, but with me, that “long-distance run” is a 20-minute walk in the park.
After my last relapse, I had more sudden episodes where I thought my legs were going to give way - but only thought so. They didn’t. These came on fast, but still not instantly. Usually I got warning signs of buzzing or tingling, culminating in my legs not wanting to go any further. The most dramatic of these was when I ran for a train at Birmingham New Street Station (yes, I could still run, or thought I could). All was well until I got halfway up a flight of stairs, and discovered I’d completely lost power. Still able to stand, but couldn’t go up or down. Had to stand clinging to the rail for a few moments, missing the train, until I recovered enough to go back downstairs.
One other kind I have is like my leg going to sleep. This would usually only be when I’ve been asleep, or sitting in one position for a long time. I might put my leg down to stand up, but find I can’t feel it properly, which leads to me almost falling over. I’m just a bit cautious now, about standing up too quickly, because I know I might have to get my sea legs first! It’s not usually a problem, as long as I remember it might happen.
I bet you get a lot of other different answers too.
Tina
x
I’ve been using a walking stick for just over a year. My legs feel stiff and heavy, and I can’t move them as fast as I’d like. Changing direction, or stepping onto a different surface can be a challenge, and little steps like small kerbs that I wouldn’t normally have noticed are now a “stop and think” moment - I don’t want to trip.
This is an ongoing thing though, not something that comes on out of the blue - my legs get very tired, ridiculously quickly, and even if I haven’t exerted myself during the day, they are noticeably worse in the evening.
Luisa x
It’s a magical Mystery tour.
I have no idea what sort of step my legs/feet are going to make. Could be short, could be long , could be fast, could be slow. I have no control at all really. My brain may be sending normal walking messages but my legs take no notice. The more tired I get the more erratic it is.
I don’t walk much outside the home because the results can be dangerous – at least inside there’s furniture and carpets if it all goes horribly wrong.
Jane
I think the previous posts have summed it up in a nutshell.
Janet x
thankyou for your replies, that helps quite a lot, horrible disease!
Hi In my experience they start to feel heavy as if you’ve got heavy boots on then it’s like wading through water and then treacle. I had to run for a train once when things were easing off and I was Putting full effort in and just going at snails pace. Also with electric shocks running up and down my leggs and lower back - which was kind of cool in a wired sort of way! Hope you keep free of it. All the best. Mr S