MS is a short name for Multiple sclerosis, a disease also known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminate. Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease that occurs when a human body mistakenly starts to attack its own tissues. In this case, the inflammation affects the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord. When this happens, demyelination occurs and impairs the conduction of signals in the affected nerves. As a result, a patient will have various impairments in sensation, movement, cognition, or other functions, depending on the nature of nerves that are affected.
Benefits of exercise for patients with MS
Multiple sclerosis is a neurological condition that affects the body’s communication network. Therefore, people affected with multiple sclerosis can sometimes suffer from severe disability that impairs with their ability to live normal day-to-day life. Everyone benefits from physical exercise, including people with multiple sclerosis. The benefits for these patients include staying healthy and fit and improving the symptoms while decreasing their severity. People with multiple sclerosis will get the opportunity to stay as mobile and active as possible, by engaging in the regular training. Some of their most annoying symptoms, such as muscle stiffness, problems with balance, fatigue, anxiety, depression, bladder or bowel problems, can also dramatically improve.
Exercises suitable for patients with MS
Multiple sclerosis produces different symptoms in different patients. This means that no single set of exercise is suitable for each affected individual. People are advised to find a type of exercise that works best for them and be careful not to overdo it. People suffering from fatigue, which is one of the common symptoms of this disease, should try to balance exercise and rest, and keep cool while they exercise. They should also pay attention to the posture, which may help the body to work more efficiently by using less energy and causing less strain.
People with balancing and walking difficulties should focus on stretching, strengthening and posture exercises. There are many efficient and specially designed physiotherapy programs for these individuals. However, they can also benefit from chair exercises or yoga postures performed in the sitting or lying position.
People who are suffering from stiffness or muscle spasms (and at least 50% of all MS patients are), will mostly benefit from stretching or range-of motion exercises. These exercises are performed by moving each joint as far as it feels comfortable and in all directions. Some of the best stretching exercises are borrowed from yoga. Unlike normal daily activities, yoga postures take joints through their full range of motion.
Your thoughts on this
Loading...