The Link Between Exercise and Multiple Sclerosis

It is well known that exercise can be beneficial for many people. Aside from increasing muscle mass, it can also improve mood, encourage bone growth, stave off depression, and enhance social behavior.

But “most people” does not mean everyone. Some people have multiple sclerosis to such a degree that it causes a severe mobility disability. This can make walking and other mundane tasks very difficult, not to mention strenuous.

But can an exercise regime be helpful for these people who have severely impaired motor abilities? Perhaps!

Exercise has always proven to be beneficial for individuals. Apart from the fact that it is known to make you lean and increase your muscle mass, it is also said to bring about positive changes in one’s mood, lead to bone growth, and ward off depression, thereby enabling better social behavior in the individual. But not everyone can fit into this category of carrying out exercise on a regular basis. A few of the individuals who suffer from multiple sclerosis have this condition to such a degree that it can affect their mobility; they cannot even carry out simple tasks, such as walking or any of their other regular tasks. But the question arises as to whether there is any such exercise regime that can help even the ones whose mobility has been impaired to a larger extent, and the answer to this is, maybe there is.

It is a known fact that those who suffer from a light to mild form of multiple sclerosis can carry out exercise on a daily basis and it is actually good for them. If one follows a healthy exercise routine where there is not much exertion, or if it provides relief from certain symptoms, then why not pursue such a regimen? The exercise rules change over time for those who suffer from this condition since the body is no longer able to withstand as great amounts of stress as it used to. High intensity workouts may worsen the symptoms and can lead to a rise in inflammation. Because of this, these individuals should first start with warm-up sessions and then go on to carry out slower forms of exercise. The exercise plan should end before your body starts to feel tired or fatigued. Light exercises without much strain or stress can help ease the symptoms of this medical condition. But some may wonder whether the same holds true for those patients whose mobility is severely impaired.

There have been multiple studies carried out to identify which group of individuals can carry out which forms of exercise. There was a good deal of research required in this field. But researchers Lara Pilutt and Thomas Edwards were quite confident and optimistic that their research at the time did hold some promise in regards to the prognosis of those suffering from multiple sclerosis as well as the ones in the advanced stage. Through this research, it has been found that as of now, there is a lack of proper, effective therapies for those individuals who suffer from an advanced stage or have worsening symptoms of this disease. They were of the opinion that certain exercise strategies should be designed to adapt the exercise modalities which can help combat neurodegeneration. By carrying out future studies, it can help to optimize new forms of exercise and make them very effective for such individuals. If one is unable to find any such specialized facilities, then they can try to carry out the standard workout methods as long as their body allows. Start slowly at first and take it easy. It is a good idea to go even more slowly and easily than recommended by most sources.