Is exercise good for people living with Multiple Sclerosis?
Until very recently people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) were told that exercise could make symptoms worse and increase their fatigue. We now know, from years of research, that exercise doesn’t just help with MS symptoms, but it can actually help to slow the progression of the disease. Exercise is one of the most exciting and hopeful treatment options in MS rehabilitation!
“Being physically active can help people living with MS not only with fitness, but also with their walking, mood, strength and balance”
The MS Society tells us that even doing strength training without aerobic exercise can really improve fatigue and day to day quality of life. People have long said ‘exercise is medicine’ and in the case of MS we now have the evidence to prove it!
The NICE guidelines for MS, which give evidence based recommendations, suggest that those with mobility problems and fatigue should take part in regular guided exercise programmes that include aerobic, strength, balance and stretching exercises. They also point out that to get long term benefits you need to keep exercising regularly. We all know that motivation to keep up with exercise programmes is tough. This is where Neuro Heroes comes in! In many ways it doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do - moving, keeping active and finding something that you enjoy doing will mean that you see the benefits. Getting your heart rate up is neuroprotective and helps to prevent other health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure.
“Dynamic aerobic activity has been shown to improve fitness, brain volume, mobility, fatigue and quality of life in people with MS”
Read more on this from MS Trust here. Essentially, being physically active and leading a healthy lifestyle improves quality of life and helps your body to work at it’s best.
The guidelines also recommend that exercise is prescribed by a physiotherapist so that an individual’s capabilities and impairments can be tailored to. At Neuro Heroes we combine the motivation to exercise regularly by keeping things fun and social and changing things up each week, with neuro physiotherapist led exercise programmes to specifically target problem areas for people living with MS. We keep classes small so we can cater to individual needs.
“To achieve important fitness benefits adults living with MS who have mild to moderate symptoms need at least 30 minutes of moderate to intense aerobic (dynamic) activity twice a week, and strength training for major muscles twice a week”
It’s important to start a condition specific fitness and activity regime as soon after your MS diagnosis as you can, so that you can get into good lifelong habits. A study has shown that early on in the disease people with MS still have reduced speed of walking, reduced stride length and balance problems, as well as fatigue and difficulties with cognition. The research shows that early intervention is most effective in slowing the progression of MS.
Our Neuro Heroes MS Movement sessions target improved function and confidence through gentle fitness, strength, flexibility, coordination and balance training, all from the comfort of your home! Some people find getting warm while exercising can exaggerate symptoms temporarily, but don’t let that put you off - get a fan set up, wear a damp tea towel round your neck or keep sipping an icy drink! We take regular breaks to help with this. A sense of community, physio guidance and challenge at the right level is guaranteed from our small groups. It will really make a difference and get you putting your best foot forward for your MS journey. Come and train with us and we’ll help you thrive!
