Brief Answer:
No, your symptoms are not specific at all for MS

Detailed Answer:
Good afternoon.

The symptoms of generalized muscle weakness with arm and hand tremors along with balance issues are not likely to be pointing in the direction of MS in your case mainly due to your age. MS is typically and most frequently seen in the 2nd and 3rd decades of life presenting for the 1st time

But more than that, the presenting symptoms of MS are usually FOCAL in nature as opposed to generalized. In other words, only a portion of the body is affected on one side of the body or the other....almost never do we see bilateral (both sides) symptoms. So, generalized weakness would be considered an overall body weakness for which MS would not really be the best diagnostic choice to make.

Also, the symptoms related to MS have a tendency to show up in different places of the time as time goes on. Sometimes the original symptoms improve or even disappear...sometimes they don't. But invariably another set of symptoms eventually show up in some other part of the body.

Once again, the likelihood of this set of symptoms representing the first presentation of MS would be just about as close to nil as one could get so I would rest more easily knowing that bit of information.

In your case what I would be most concerned about would be to first get a good history as to exactly when things started to happen in terms of the generalized weakness. This could be related to cardiac, pulmonary, renal, or metabolic problems. It could be due to anemia or a hormonal imbalance such as thyroid or adrenal dysfunction. Generalized weakness is also seen in diabetes mellitus and in point of fact, there are likely another 1000 medical conditions that could be heralded or signified by this symptom before I would even consider MS in your case.

As far as balance was concerned we know that the aging process itself is a risk factor for losing the sense of balance since as we approach the age of about 65-70 there is an estimated loss of about 10% of the total number of BALANCE RECEPTORS (proprioceptors) found in our feet and ankles. And although 10% doesn't sound a lot....at the age of 65-70 years....a loss of 10% of any CNS element from baseline normal is likely going to cause symptoms of some type of abnormality.

In your case young lady, I would approach things by getting a solid history of how things have been over the past few years and try and pinpoint the exact timeline on when and what things started feeling abnormal to you. I would then perform a full-on neurological examination to include things to help distinguish what you perceive as "generalized" weakness from something neurologists referred to as FOCAL weakness...meaning, weakness more in one limb vs. all others, or part of the face compared to the whole face, or 1 foot more so than the other by the way you walk, etc. etc.

I would test the balance system first from the feet and ankles then, continue up to the level of the brainstem and cerebellum. I would also want to be sure that your inner ears are not at fault for anything since the inner ear organ known as the cochlea can have a lot to do with balance. Next, I would travel into the cerebellum and explore its function before moving on to the cerebral hemispheres (particularly the frontal lobe regions which sometimes can be affected with problems of equilibrium).

Lastly, I would review your cranial nerve and cognitive function and capacity to make sure we didn't miss anything potentially important that would help suggest a problem within the central nervous system itself.

After the neurological examination was completed I would consider the lab studies I mentioned earlier include Vitamin B12, D, as well as complete blood count, electrolytes, some muscle enzymes such as CPK and aldolase (if really suspicious for a muscle degenerative problem) as well as liver and kidney function parameters. I would finally do a quick survey of inflammatory markers such as an ESR, C-reactive protein, ferritin, and ANA panel. Oh, I almost forgot something very important that is often overlooked....a Urinanalysis!

Now, based on the history, physical examination and initial laboratory studies I would make a decision as to the necessity for imaging studies of the brain. So in the end, I may consider an MRI of the brain.

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You can always reach me at that address for this or other questions. I wish you the best with everything and hope this conversation has helped you get a little more direction as to what you may wish to discuss with your doctor.

This query required 58 minutes of professional time to research, assimilate, and respond in complete form.

Regards

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