Is sensation affected by ALS?

Sensitivity—the ability to feel touch, temperature, and pain—is generally preserved in ALS. Nevertheless, a small proportion of patients describe an altered sense of touch. Others report that their paralyzed arms or legs feel “strange,” without any numbness or abnormal sensations. In another group of patients, electrophysiological testing (e.g., electroneurography) reveals changes in the sensory system, even in the absence of corresponding symptoms.

In general, sensory disturbances are not among the typical symptoms of ALS. The presence of severe sensory disturbances, particularly a reduction in surface sensation (hypoesthesia) or pain sensation (hypalgesia), necessitates a critical reevaluation of the ALS diagnosis.