Continence Fatigue . When I was diagnosed in 1983, I remember very well my doctor telling me that MS doesn't cause pain. Yes, pain does occur in multiple sclerosis. However, recognition of pain as a genuine symptom of the disease has only come about in the past 10 to 20 years. Recent studies estimate that about half of people with MS will experience some type of pain during the course of their illness.
Pain occurs equally in relapsing-remitting and progressive disease.
The cause of MS pain is dependent upon the type of pain syndrome. Acute pain Acute pain syndromes are often described as paroxysmal attacks, that is, sudden attacks of pain. They are time-limited, usually repetitive pain attacks lasting minutes or hours. The symptom is the result of abnormal conduction or 'short circuit' along demyelinated nerve fibres. The nerve impulse may jump to adjacent demyelinated sensory fibres causing a painful sensation.