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Functional weakness: clues to mechanism from the nature of onset




Study finds factors that occur commonly with functional weakness.

What do we know already?
Functional weakness is a loss of strength in a part of the body, usually the arms or legs, which is caused by a person’s nervous system not working properly. Unlike other kinds of limb weakness, it is not due to damage to or a disease of the nervous system.

People with functional weakness can experience symptoms which can be disabling and frightening. It can cause difficulty walking as they may drag their feet or legs behind them, or have a feeling of a ‘heaviness’ on one side of their body. They can have trouble holding things, or can experience a feeling that a limb just doesn’t feel normal or ‘part of them’. This is called dissociative disorder. ... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... ageid/1327

Can someone tell me how researchers came to the conclusion that MS weakness is "caused by a person’s nervous system not working properly. Unlike other kinds of limb weakness, it is not due to damage to or a disease of the nervous system"?

Why can't this weakness be due to something happening in the muscles?

This presentation found that 57% of MS-patients also had functional weakness (conversion disorder):

http://www.docguide.com/psychiatric-con ... sented-ens

lyndacarol wrote:Can someone tell me how researchers came to the conclusion that MS weakness is "caused by a person’s nervous system not working properly. Unlike other kinds of limb weakness, it is not due to damage to or a disease of the nervous system"?

That's not what the article says.

First, the article and research are about Functional Weakness, not MS.
Second, the 3rd paragraph of the article starts with: "Functional weakness can be mistaken for a stroke or symptoms of multiple sclerosis."

Apparently yet another possible reason for weakness that isn't directly related to lesions but is still pretty common among MSers...