Although MS can cause some disability, most people never need to use a wheelchair on a regular basis. The treatment and care of people with MS is improving so people diagnosed with MS today can expect a better quality of life than was possible previously.

What percentage of MS sufferers end up in a wheelchair?

Everyone with MS ends up in a wheelchair Only 25 percent of people with MS use a wheelchair or stay in bed because they are unable to walk, according to a survey completed before the new disease-modifying drugs became available.

Do people with multiple sclerosis end up in wheelchairs?

4. Only about one-third of people with MS use wheelchairs 20 years after diagnosis. When we think of MS, most of us imagine a person who is unable to walk. MS does affect gait, mobility, muscle strength, and flexibility, but not for everyone.

What percent of MS patients become disabled?

The truth is that 15 years after the onset of MS, only about 20% of patients are bedridden or institutionalized. Another 20% may require a wheelchair, or use crutches, or a cane to ambulate, but fully 60% will be ambulatory without assistance and some will have little deficit at all.