Exercise is Medicine
Exercise Physiology for Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic neurological disease to affect young adults. The average age of MS diagnosis is between 20-40 years of age. MS results from damage to the protective sheath around nerve fibers of the central nervous system. This causes interference with messages from the brain to the rest of the body. This impacts the musculoskeletal system, the pulmonary system, the autonomic system and the vestibular system. This means that an individual with MS may experience muscle weakness and tremors as well as a lack of coordination, dizziness and vertigo. People may also present with severe fatigue, heat intolerance, anxiety and visual disturbances.
Exercise therapy is considered to be an important part of symptomatic and supportive treatment for Multiple Sclerosis. As MS is an unpredictable, fluctuating disease that progresses over time, it is essential that rehabilitation is prescribed by practitioners like those at Exercise Matters that are knowledgeable about the range of symptoms that can occur with MS and be responsive to their variability from one person to another. Exercise Physiology can help improve a person's mobility, balance, flexibility, strength, stamina and cardiovascular conditioning. A major goal of exercise prescription for MS is to address the reduced muscular strength and subsequently reduction in functional capacities such as walk and balance.