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147426 tn?1317265632

Paresthesias

This is the beginning of a new Health Page on the ways a sensory nerve can be affected in MS.

PARESTHESIAS

One of the commonest problems is MS is that of a damaged sensory nerve causing sensation that is painful, weird, wrong, too strong, present all the time.  It can make an areas feel like it is being hurt or touched when it isn't.  It may also cause numbness or be reduced in reduced in intensity.  This pain, weirdness or numbness may occur in ANY sensory nerve.  It can happen anywhere you have feeling, including the buttocks.  It may be on one side or both, but it is more likely to be bilateral the longer you have had MS.

A erroneous sensation from a sensory nerve causes a "paresthesia. What a lot of people don't know its that there are several different kinds of sensory nerves.

The common kinds are pain, pressure, soft touch, hot, cold, and vibration, but there are another dozen types. On top of that there are the special senses: smell, sight, taste, hearing, and such. All of them can be affected by MS.

Also nerves can be affecting in two different kinds of ways. Their error messages can be positive or negative.  In the positive error the signal may send far too much signal as in pain where there is no reason for pain.  And it may send a signal all the time instead of just when stimulated.  In the negative parethesia, the nerve may fail to send any signal at all, or a reduced signal.

A POSITIVE paresthesia means that the erroroneous nerve signal will be something felt, or sensed, by the person. In the case of pain, it will be a sensation of pain from an area that is not damaged and has no reason to send a pain signal.  Hot may send a signal of a warm patch. We often perceive this as a warm, "wet" patch, but usually this "sense of wetness" is filled in by our brain because it makes sense and our brains often try to make sense of things that don't add up.  A positive pressure paresthesia may show as the band sensation we often feel in the trunk or the limbs.  And, so the sense of smell by show that is, too, is wonky, by providing us with abnormal smells. Too often these are not pleasant.  Eyes may send lights, wavy lines, colors or halos. You get the idea. Other types of positive paresthesiaS are the shooting or jabbing or electrical-shock pains that so many of us have.

A NEGATIVE paresthesia means the nerve shows its damage by not sending the signal at all, or by sending it in reduced amplitude.  Something may be completely without feeling or numb, or if the touch sensation is just reduced, it may actually feel tingly.  Something that is hot may just feel warm, or if the sensation is gone there is nothing to counter the cold sensors and the thing may actually feel cold.  The sense of smell or taste may be totally gone. The vision may lose whole segments of visual field or the color-sensing nerves may lose color saturation.

More later, questions now.

Quix
31 Responses
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147426 tn?1317265632
A classic paresthesia is the "Phantom Leg Syndrome" in an amputee.  Of course there can be no feeling, but the nerves that went to the leg are still there higher up and in the spine running to the brain.
Helpful - 0
147426 tn?1317265632
Oh, Man!!  IU couldn't have been more wrong or misleading.  A parathesia is something that is felt that is not there.  By definition it is a positive error message.  

I'm not sure there is such a thing as a negative paresthesia.  I meant to describe it as a Negative error message.  No sensation at all when there should be one.  I will look this up and recheck my terms.

All of your questions have been great in helping me to clarify what I need to say in this post.

Pain is a special case.  Technically it IS a paresthesia, because it indicates a problem (a painful area) that doesn't actually have a reason for being painful.  But it deserves its own name.  It is called Nerve Pain or Neuropathic Pain.  Neuropathic pain can be constant, varying in intensity or constant, or it may be intermittent.  The name only applies to the cause of the pain, not the quality of the pain.

L'Hermitte's is also a paresthesia.  The nerve sends its erroneous signal when pressure or stretching from bending the neck irritates the damaged nerve in the cervical spine.

Landfish - Yes, experiencing paresthesias is very characteristic of MS.  It is not mandatory by any means, meaning you can have MS without paresthesias, but it would be rather uncommon.  I initally did not have any, but began developing them after a year or so.

AKcowboy - We have pain nerves deep inside, like in our abdomens and in the lining around our bones (called the periosteum).  These nerve can also be damaged causing pain that appears to be deep and not from the skin.

Doni - Numbness is very often associated with pain or a paresthesia.  The nerves coming from the numb are damaged and not getting proper signals through, so there is no feeling when you touch or poke the area.  However the damaged nerves are still sending a signal to the brain of pain.  The signal is originating higher up.  Both things can happen at once and is actually very common.  

all - Numbness may be complete or, more often, it is associated with some abnormal feeling, like tingling or burning.

That weird vibration that so many have is definitely a paresthesia.

I will rewrite the Paresthesia blurb to include the answers to all your questions.

Again, I should have written about Negative Nerve Error signals and Positive Nerve Error Signals.

Parethesia (Par - "other" or "abnormal" or "outside of") thesia (feeling or sensation)  Think paranormal, paramilitary, paramour

Paresthesia are when you feel wrong nerve signals.

Pain is a paresthesia, but is called Nerve Pain or Neuropathic Pain.

Numbness is a negative nerve error message - No signal being sent at all.

I will get this right and clear.

Quix
Helpful - 0
198419 tn?1360242356
Oh, and, is L'Hermitte's a POSITIVE paresthesia of sorts?

thanks,
Shell
Helpful - 0
198419 tn?1360242356
Since you asked, I'm going to see if I've got this straight.

I think I have POSITIVE paresthesia based on this:

       Burning in my back (all the time), which falls into the write up's criteria with "too much signal."  Accompanied by a feeling of water moving around in my spine in the same area, and pressure in the spine that feels as if it's seperating.
       Though it's mild now, it's still there - doesn't go away.  

Did I get it right? Also, to add the knowledge you and paindoc gave us, how does the "neuropathic pain" fit in with this.  Since, I interpreted neuropathic to come and go, and not be constant.  

Just curious of the association between the two.

Thank you so much for this,
Shelly
Helpful - 0
551343 tn?1506830518
Hi
I am currently under investigation for MS, have  been for 2 years, had one MRI with stuff that could be demylination, had a positive VEP, and now changes on my second spinal MRI which shows high signal lesion on my neck effecting my T1. (Hands, arms, neck etc). Still no firm diagnoses but neuro wants an LP when I am ready for it and for now has given me a working diagnoses of Myletitis possibly MS.

Anyway one thing that bothers me more than any other symptoms is the buzzing, tingling and vibrating in a rather delicate area in a females undercarriage LOL. It is driving me mad right now, and makes it hard for me to pass water properly. Is this classed as Paresthesias and should I be worried about this?  Its also at the moment moving upwards at the back of my bottom like pins and needles. It does wear me out but thankfully it doesnt happen everyday.

My clinical signs were positive for neurological disorder. My first test a pin ***** on my left leg showed I had at the time no feeling in the bottom part of my left leg and foot. This is on and off now, but it is spreading to my right foot now.

I have big trouble at the moment after resting when I stand up, I literally cannot bend my ankles, and the pain in the bottom of my feet hurts like hell until i get moving. Is this classed as Paresthesias. This is a new symptom which has only started in the last few weeks, and i was wondering if i need to check it out with the GP. I dont like to bother her to be honest.

I found your post very informative and very helpful thank you. Maria
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hello,
Thanks for organizing this discussion.  I've been curiuos about the paresthesias that I've been having.  I've had some trouble concentrating lately, so you'll have to excuse me if this question has been posed and answered above already: is experiencing paresthesisas all over characteristic of MS? Given what I've read about the nature of the disease it doesn't seem like it would or should be, but of course i'm not an expert.

Thank You For Your Consideration
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