Evidence is growing on the benefits of exercise for people with MS. Ten years ago, theNational MS Society funded the first study showing that aerobic exercise (usingstationary bikes) could fight fatigue in MS. The late Jack H. Petajan, MD, and colleaguesat the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, showed a positive impact on quality of life aswell (Annals of Neurology 1996 Apr;39(4):432-41). Now, Lesley White, PhD(University of Florida, Gainesville) and colleagues report positive findings on resistancetraining in a small group of people with MS.
White tested whether a 16-week program of resistance training could increase legstrength, mobility and decrease fatigue, and disability in 10 people with MS, with fundingfrom a Society Pilot Research Award. Participants lifted weights with leg, back andabdominal muscles twice a week for four months. When a subject could complete 15repetitions in consecutive sessions, the weight was increased. As a group, subjects wereable to lift heavier weights each week during the training period without significantmuscle soreness. At the end of the program, leg strength increased and participants couldwalk faster. They also reported less fatigue and disability (Annual Meeting of theAmerican College of Sports Medicine, 2005).
These early findings have provided White with sufficient data to conduct a larger study,funded by a research grant from the Society. This study, which will begin in Spring 2006,will evaluate whether resistance training influences activities of daily living, mobility andquality of life in MS.
Tailoring Programs to the Individual
This growing field presents an exciting opportunity to increase function and quality oflife, but experts recommend using caution before beginning an exercise program. Thefirst step is to consult with a neurologist or primary healthcare provider. A physicaltherapist or exercise physiologist trained to work with MS can develop a program.
The program should be designed “with careful consideration of the capabilities andlimitations of the patient, based on the result of preliminary exercise testing and the needto monitor MS symptoms,” wrote White and Rudolf Dressendorfer, PhD, PT (RocklinPhysical Therapy and Wellness, CA) in Sports Medicine (2004; 34(15):1077-100).
For example, exercise can be prescribed on an intermittent basis to avoid fatigue and heatstress, which might worsen MS symptoms. Exercising in cool water might help to attain agreater range of motion, or help maintain balance while minimizing heat-relatedsymptoms. People who experience cognitive problems related to MS may have exerciseroutines written up or illustrated by an exercise specialist.
Herbert I. Karpatkin, PT, NCS, comments that people with more advanced MS may facesevere spasticity, weakness, and fatigue. “However, none of these are trulycontraindications to exercise -- they may represent reasons why exercise may be difficult, but not reasons that exercise should be avoided,” he writes in the International Journal ofMS Care (2005;2:36—41).
For more information on exercise and MS, please visit our section on Healthy Living with MS.
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Healthy%20Living%20with%20MS.asp
