Spasms and stiffness
Muscle stiffness and spasms are common MS symptoms, and are often described as 'MS spasticity'.
Muscle spasms or stiffness can affect between 40% and 80% of people with MS at some time. For most people, these are occasional symptoms.
Drugs and therapies (including physiotherapy and occupational therapy) can help you manage these symptoms.
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It’s early evening, I’m relaxing watching a bit of TV or reading with my feet up. That’s when it starts: my toe, usually my big toe on my left foot, slowly starts to point towards the ceiling. It aches, I push my toe back down, this repeats for an hour or so. Sometimes it leads to a massive leg spasm, sometimes the toes just twitches away for ages.Ann, a writer living with relapsing MS
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Helpful resources
From symptoms and treatments to accessing care and support, our booklets and factsheets are packed full of information and tips on living well with MS.
You can download them from our website or order copies from our online shop.