Changes in movement, balance and walking are among the symptoms people most associate with MS — but they vary enormously from person to person, and many are very responsive to the right support.
They can include muscle weakness, stiffness or spasms (spasticity), problems with balance and coordination, tremor, dizziness, and difficulty walking — including foot drop, where it becomes hard to lift the front of the foot.
These symptoms can come and go, or become more persistent, and they are often worse when you are tired or hot.
Using something that helps you keep moving is not giving up. It is choosing to stay in the world on your own terms.
What it can feel like
- Legs that feel heavy, weak or unwilling to cooperate
- Sudden muscle tightening, stiffness or spasms
- Feeling unsteady, or veering to one side when walking
- Catching a toe or tripping (a sign of foot drop)
- Needing to concentrate harder simply to move
Why it happens
MS can affect the nerve pathways that control muscle strength and tone, and the systems that keep you balanced and coordinated.
Because the signals are slowed or disrupted rather than the muscles themselves being damaged, targeted physiotherapy and training can make a real difference.
Fatigue and heat can temporarily worsen weakness and balance, so managing them often improves how well you move.
You are not powerless
What can help
None of this is medical advice — but these are approaches that help many people, and good places to begin a conversation with your MS team.
01
Physiotherapy first
A physiotherapist can build a plan for strength, balance and walking tailored to you. It is one of the most effective tools there is.
02
Keep moving
Regular, manageable exercise maintains strength, flexibility and confidence — and helps you hold on to the mobility you have.
03
Manage spasticity
Stretching, good positioning and, where needed, medication your team can discuss all help ease stiffness and muscle spasms.
04
Tools are freedom
A stick, brace or foot-up device — or functional electrical stimulation for foot drop — helps you do more, not less. Using them is a strength.
05
Adapt your space
An occupational therapist can suggest small changes at home or work that quietly remove daily obstacles and save your energy.
06
Treat the multipliers
Fatigue and heat make mobility harder. Managing them, and staying hydrated, can noticeably steady your walking and balance.
Staying mobile is rarely about pushing through. It is about the right support, the right tools, and the confidence to keep going.
— Living with MS
This page offers general information about MS, not medical advice. Your experience is individual — always discuss your symptoms with your neurologist or MS team, who know your situation best.
Explore further
Other symptoms and effects
MS is highly individual, and no two people experience it in the same way. Explore the areas that matter most to you.
Fatigue in MS
An overwhelming tiredness, out of proportion to activity — one of the most common and most misunderstood symptoms of MS.
Cognition and memory
Changes in processing speed, memory or concentration — often subtle, and often manageable with the right strategies.
Vision changes
Blurred or double vision and optic neuritis are common, often early — and for most people, sight recovers well.
Pain and sensory symptoms
Numbness, tingling, burning or the MS hug — nerve-related sensations that are real, common and treatable.
Bladder and bowel
Common, rarely talked about, and very manageable — practical help for bladder and bowel changes.
Emotional wellbeing
MS affects mood and emotions, not only the body. You do not have to face those feelings alone.
Daily life with MS
Work, family, energy and routines — how people build full, meaningful lives alongside MS.
You are not alone
Working with your body, not against it
Small adaptations and the right help can keep daily life open and full.