Working with your health care team — a physical therapist in particular — can help you overcome MS walking problems. Start with these solutions.

Multiple sclerosis can affect your physical abilities in many ways. The condition can even make the act of putting one foot in front of another a challenge. According to a 2011 study published in the journal The Patient, 41 percent of people with MS report difficulty walking, and 13 percent say they’re unable to walk on at least two occasions a week — a major life disruption, the study found.

Although the severity of symptoms of MS can vary, research also finds that about half of those with relapsing-remitting MS who have not received any treatment will need some sort of MS assistive device for walking within 15 years of diagnosis.

Some of the challenges that make walking difficult when you have MS are fatigue, weakness and spasticity, balance issues, fear of falling, and loss of feeling.

A physical therapist can often play a major role in helping you manage MS walking problems, especially as the problems worsen. “A comprehensive exam by a physical therapist can identify the underlying sources of the gait problem and determine a rehab program to diminish the effects of the symptoms,” says Susan Bennett, PT, DPT, EdD, a clinical associate professor in the departments of rehabilitation science and neurology at the University at Buffalo, SUNY in Buffalo, N.Y. Your physical therapist, along with other health care professionals, can identity whether certain MS assistive devices, such as canes, walkers, and braces, can help you walk better.

In addition, these strategies can help you address MS symptoms that affect your mobility. To read this article in its entirity click here: MS coping with walking issues