Exercise and multiple sclerosis

Exercise and multiple sclerosis

People diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) that do regular exercise, find improvement in their mobility, muscular strength, stress management, mood states, fatigue levels and overall fitness.

A person with MS may want to avoid exercise due to fatigue, mobility and proprioceptive (balance) problems. However, exercise need not be high intensity and stressful on the body! As a matter of fact, working too hard, causing the body to overheat should be avoided as it can facilitate a MS attack amongst certain people.

Physical exercise is available in many forms of workouts depending on one’s abilities and needs. There are even Pilates classes for wheelchair bound people.

Before starting any physical exercise program, medical advice should be sought from a GP, specialised nurse or physiotherapist. They can assist in making recommendations regarding:

Type of exercise. We are all different and there are forms of exercise best suited to us and those which we should avoid.
Intensity of the exercise program (toughness of session).
Exercise duration and any physical limitations relevant to you.
Referrals to other relevant professionals, such as a physical therapist or a specialist physiotherapist, who can create an individualised exercise programme to meet your needs. This will depend on your fitness, symptoms, and overall health.

Guidelines for exercising safely with Multiple Sclerosis

Always perform a warm up at the beginning and cool down at the end of each workout.
Always have a gradual progression. If you want to exercise for 30 minutes, begin with a 10-minute exercise routine and slowly progress to your goal time of 30min.
Perform your exercise routine in a safe environment. Avoid smooth and slippery floors, poor lighted areas, mats and any other potential tripping hazards.
If you struggle with balance, always exercise in a supported state or within reach of a bar or rail.
If you ever feel sick or begin to hurt, stop the workout!
Select something that you enjoy. Aqua aerobics, Pilates or even just swimming are examples that have proven to be very beneficial to people with MS.

How would I manage overheating during exercise?

Certain MS persons are heat sensitive. This means they notice that their symptoms could either reappear or worsen when their internal body temperature rises. This could happen when you exercise (depending on the type of exercise). The following will help to avoid overheating:

Don’t do workouts during the peak times (10am to 2pm), especially during the summer. Prioritise your exercise to the mornings or evenings if you want to exercise outside.
Drink lots of cool fluids – especially water.
Body awareness helps! If any symptoms appear that you didn’t have before the session, slow down or stop until your internal temperature cools down.
Swimming and water aerobics are great options to keep your body temperature down. Just ensure non-slippery surfaces in the changing rooms and around the pool are in place.

(http://www.webmd.boots.com/a-to-z-guides/multiple-sclerosis-exercise)