Exercise therapy for multiple sclerosis

The disease called multiple sclerosis targets the spinal cord and the brain and damages them. This is a chronic and very unpredictable disease, which is actually an autoimmune disorder. When we say that a disease is autoimmune, this suggests that the human body has a certain reason and due to this reason it attacks and destroys its own tissue and cells. Even today the reason that drives the body to destroy itself due to multiple sclerosis is unknown, but scientists think that several factors are the ones to be blamed for turning the body against itself.

Multiple Sclerosis

The name contains the word multiple, which means that multiple body parts can be affected, while the second word, sclerosis, comes from the fact that the tissue becomes scarred. This is an inflammatory condition that causes the problems in the white matter of the spinal cord and the brain. Nerve fibers, responsible for the communication of the central nervous system, are located in the white matter and the mentioned nerves have a coating called myelin, which is affected by the multiple sclerosis. The condition breaks down this coating and the scar tissue takes their place. This leads to the blockage of the communication in the central nervous system, which can lead to mistaking the functions like memory, vision and coordination.

Once multiple sclerosis causes the myelin to break down, they will fight back. Remission can follow the attacks due to the remyelination and sometimes it may lead to the recovery as well. But the ability to fight off will start to fade once the attacks become too strong and frequent. This is the time when the condition starts to progress and advance. Symptoms of the MS differ almost in every case because the damage can occur on so many different locations and thus create different symptoms.

Exercises

Physical exhaustion is the reason why people do not tend to do exercises when diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. But there are exercises that have mental and physical benefits if the therapy is conducted right. They will make the heart stronger, muscles bigger and stronger and the mobility will be increased. The endorphins are the chemicals in the brain, and these exercises can release these chemicals, thus fighting the emotional problems brought on by the MS. Swimming is a great exercise that can be done by those with restrictive symptoms. MS can cause problems with sensitivity to temperature and if you practice swimming, this symptom will not have the same effect. The colder water in the pool can also be beneficial on the symptoms and make them weaker.