Legs like jelly or noodles, or legs that feel heavy like cement — these are some of the ways MyMSTeam members describe leg weakness, a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). Leg weakness can come on suddenly and may happen after exertion, which means physical effort like exercise or heavy activity.

For people with MS, leg weakness can contribute to problems with walking and make it harder to avoid falls. In a survey of more than 600 MyMSTeam members, two-thirds reported challenges with walking, mobility, or balance. Leg weakness can also contribute to feelings of tiredness and fatigue that are common in MS.

What Does MS Leg Weakness Feel Like?

Leg weakness can be difficult to describe, and people with MS may experience it in different ways. Members of MyMSTeam often use metaphors, such as the following, to explain how leg weakness affects them:

• “My legs feel like jelly — other times they feel like they have weights on them.”
• “My left leg feels like I’m dragging a block of wood around, and my right leg buckles under me.”
• “Anyone ever feel like their legs are Jell‑O and cement at the same time?”
• “My legs feel like Jell-O, wobbly and unpredictable, making it hard to walk.”
• “I felt like one leg was shorter than the other and felt unbalanced all the time.”
• “I had what I called spaghetti legs because my legs felt like they had about as much substance as a cooked noodle.”

In a survey, 66 percent of MyMSTeam members reported muscle weakness as a symptom that affects their quality of life.

No matter how MyMSTeam members describe their leg weakness, they agree that it’s a frustrating and often debilitating symptom of MS.

What Causes Leg Weakness in MS?

Leg weakness in MS can have one or more causes. This symptom may stem from the following factors.

Lack of Muscle Use

When you don’t use your muscles enough, they begin to atrophy, or shrink. If your leg weakness is due to atrophy, getting more exercise may help strengthen your muscles and improve leg weakness.

Fatigue

About 80 percent of people with MS experience fatigue, which is often their most prominent MS symptom. Fatigue can contribute to leg weakness, and vice versa. If fatigue is causing your leg weakness, resting may help.

Nerve Damage

MS causes damage to both the protective myelin coating around the nerves and the nerves themselves. Damage to the nerves controlling the legs may result in weakness. If your leg weakness is due to nerve damage, exercise and rest may not help much.

In a survey of MyMSTeam members, 66 percent of respondents reported muscle weakness as a symptom that affects their quality of life. Depending on where nerve damage occurs, people with MS may experience generalized muscle weakness that involves multiple body parts. If damage occurs in the spinal cord, the result may be weakness in the legs only.

Why Do Your Legs Feel Weak?

According to an article in BMC Neurology, people diagnosed with MS who are also sensitive to heat or cold find that extreme temperatures trigger or worsen leg weakness. Symptoms such as leg weakness are often worse during MS relapses, also known as flares or exacerbations. The experiences of MyMSTeam members echo this research, especially when it comes to hot weather, as they’ve described in comments like these:

• “If it is hot outside and I try to do a lot, my legs will give out or become like Jell‑O.”
• “When I get overheated … I get those ‘jelly legs.’”
• “Midwest humid summer days promote heavy MS legs for me.”

Other MyMSTeam members notice that, like many other MS symptoms, leg weakness worsens with stress. One wrote, “When I get too stressed, my legs start to feel like cement blocks.”

For others, MS fatigue or too much physical exertion may trigger an episode of leg weakness. “I usually get jelly legs when I am severely fatigued, like today,” one MyMSTeam member said.

People diagnosed with MS who are also sensitive to heat or cold may find that extreme temperatures trigger or worsen leg weakness.

“This is most definitely a sign I have been doing too much,” shared another member. “If I push myself, I get pins and needles in my arms, and my legs go to jelly.”

MyMSTeam Members’ Tips for Managing Leg Weakness

Leg weakness can lead to problems with walking and balance, raising the risk of falls. Finding ways to manage leg weakness is important for preventing broken bones or other injuries from falling. MyMSTeam members often share tips for managing leg weakness and fatigue.

Engage in an Exercise Program

Some MyMSTeam members work with a physical therapist or occupational therapist to help strengthen weak leg muscles. Physical therapy can help people with MS manage leg weakness by improving strength and balance.

One member described their experience with physical therapy as an MS leg weakness treatment: “My right leg is so weak that I couldn’t stand up without help or a cane. I have been going to physical therapy twice a week for three weeks now. Physical therapy kicks my butt. I am learning to use muscles that I haven’t been able to use in years. The object of physical therapy is to make the muscles strong enough that they can help with walking.”

Another MyMSTeam member was prescribed exercise by their neurologist: “I told my neuro that my legs were getting weaker. He just said to keep on walking. I use a rollator, which is a walker with wheels and brakes. Actually, the more I walk with it, the stronger I get. Just keep moving.”

One MyMSTeam member touted exercise for muscle weakness even when progress might not be obvious: “Exercise, like yoga, walking, and even squats, will help maintain muscle even though it doesn’t feel like there is improvement.”

Use Mobility Aids and Disability Placards

When their leg weakness is severe, many MyMSTeam members use assistive devices to help prevent falls, as they’ve explained in comments like these:

• “Sometimes, an assistive device like a wheelchair or cane is necessary.”
• “On good days, I can walk straight. On bad days, I need a cane.”
• “I use a cane everywhere, but when [my legs] are heavy, I use my walker.”

Displaying a disability placard on their vehicle can be helpful for those whose “jelly legs” come on suddenly. “I get Jell-O legs quite often,” one member said. “I don’t know when it is going to happen. I have a handicap sticker, and I get so many looks — I don’t know if I am going to need it until it happens!”

Some people with MS worry that they’ll become dependent on a cane, walker, or wheelchair if they start using one of these mobility aids. In reality, these devices can help save leg strength for when it really counts. Leg weakness can increase throughout the day as fatigue sets in. Using a mobility aid in certain situations — like a wheelchair to get through the airport — may mean your legs will be stronger for another activity later in the day.

Rest on Bad Leg Weakness Days

In some cases, rest and pacing physical activity are the best options. One MyMSTeam member commented, “I know that when my vision starts to alter, my legs go all Jell-O-like, and I have word-finding problems, it’s time to slow down and take a rest for a few hours, possibly days.”

When leg weakness is severe, many MyMSTeam members use assistive devices to help prevent falls.

Another member said, “After a few good days, I’m back to my legs feeling like Jell-O. At least I have no appointments today. What I’ve learned is that, when I feel like this, the only thing to do is rest!”

Talk With Others Who Understand

On MyMSTeam, the social network for people with multiple sclerosis and their loved ones, members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with others who understand life with multiple sclerosis.

How does MS affect your muscle strength and emotional well-being? Does regular exercise seem to improve your life with MS? Share your experiences in the comments below, or start a conversation on your Activities page.