Letting your doctor know how you're doing is one of the ways they can keep track of your MS and there are a number of tools your doctor can also use to measure any changes in your symptoms. Find out about the tools.

Your doctor will want to keep a close eye on your brain to see how your MS is progressing. But this doesn't tell them everything as there could be damage taking place that isn't visible on a scan. Therefore, your doctor may also use a number of other tools to monitor any changes in your symptoms and to help assess how well your MS is being managed.

EDSS, which stands for the Expanded Disability Status Scale, is a way for doctors to quantify disability in MS.

It's useful because it can help them to track any changes, whether things are getting worse, staying the same, or if they're improving. Although this is based on a number of different things, currently EDSS scores are mostly focused on mobility. 

Symbol digit modalities

Your MS can cause physical symptoms but it can also affect your thinking and memory.

There are tests and questionnaires, which your doctor can use to measure your cognition, including your thinking and memory.

One test your doctor may use is the symbol digit modalities test, which involves matching up numbers and symbols. This is a way of measuring how fast you're able to process information.

Some tools doctors use look at a range of symptoms such as the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC).

The MSFC measures three different things: mobility, how well you move and control your arms and hands, and thinking and memory. From this your doctor will work out a score which they can compare over time.