Tampa neurologist Dr. Mark Cascione explains why even a small rise in body temperature can temporarily revive old symptoms and how people with MS can prepare for a hot day outside.
For most families, a child’s soccer game is an ordinary weekend outing. For a person living with multiple sclerosis, sitting in sun-soaked bleachers can also become a test of how well the nervous system handles Florida’s heat and humidity.
Why heat makes MS symptoms worse
Dr. Mark Cascione uses that familiar scene to explain a problem many people with MS experience. As the body warms above its usual core temperature, communication between the brain, spinal cord, and the rest of the body can slow. Along nerve pathways already damaged by MS, that slowdown may be worse.
A person at the soccer field might suddenly notice an old symptom returning – a blurry eye, an unsteady leg, tingling, or weakness. Dr. Cascione’s first instruction is simple: “Get out of the heat, get out of the heat, get out of the heat, get out of the heat.”…