If the walls and the furniture would stop moving I wouldn’t have any bruises

Do these words sound familiar: “Woah, how’d I do that?” or “When did I cut myself?” If so, you are certainly not alone. We recently shared an article about mysterious bruises that started quite the discussion amongst the community. With over 160 comments, it quickly became clear that unknown bruises, cuts, burns etc are a regular occurrence among many MSers, but how and why these happen is where it gets really interesting. Here’s what our community members told us!

That’s What Caused it?

While many of the bruises, cuts, bumps, scrapes, burns show up as if from nowhere, others have a very clear cause. Though sometimes it takes a while to realize what that cause is!

• It took me a while to realize my bruises were from hitting my elbows on doorways to catch my balance when I was carrying the laundry basket.
• I finally figured out my shin bruises were from those small carts at the grocery store. There’s a little bar across the bottom that hits my shins!
• I’ll often notice a new scratch on my hands or legs and realize, a day later, it was from my cats
• I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burned my hands cooking dinner and not realize it until I see the blister
• We used to have a trailer hitch on our SUV. Weekly I unknowingly walked into to ball on the hitch while loading groceries. It took me MONTHS to figure out where the perfect blue circles on my knee were coming from.
• What bothers me most is hitting my head as I get into the car. Like I’ve never gotten into a car before.
• I thought I was in a secret fight club in my sleep lol. I wake up with random bruises all the time!
• I used to wonder where a new bruise came from now I know! I’m so unsteady on my feet I bang into stuff all the time. It’s so common I don’t remember every bump!

Why Does This Keep Happening?

There are so many factors that could contribute to the increased bruising and wounds with MS.

I just fall more often now

• Spasticity, muscle weakness and loss of balance are common with MS, and can cause serious gait problems and other mobility issues, such as “foot drop” or “toe drag”
• And you may also be familiar with dizziness, or even vertigo, as part of the MS experience. Feeling as though the room or ground is spinning can certainly make one prone to falling

Half my body is numb

• As many of you have probably experienced, numbness on body parts, or entire halves of the body, is one of the most common symptoms experienced by MSers. This is caused by damaged nerves inhibiting the transmission of sensations from the body’s surface to the brain.
• And of course, when you don’t feel a bump or burn, it’s even more confusing to see a bruise!

My body is more prone to bruising and bleeding now

• Some medications and that treat MS and other dietary supplements can also cause the skin to thin or lower the blood’s ability to clot, leading to an increase in bruising or bleeding
• Additionally, there are other comorbidities, such as low blood platelet count or anemia, that can cause clotting issues and bruising

Ultimately, if you’ve ever had a friend ask you “What happened to your arm” or you’ve woken up in the morning to find your legs covered in fresh bruises without a clue, you are not alone!