Multiple sclerosis (MS), which affects an estimated 400,000 people in the US, is a demyelinating disease with a variable degree of injury to axons in the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve.¹ A variety of symptoms associated with MS—such as weakness, spasticity, balance problems, and ataxia—affect functional mobility and activities of daily living. Studies have also suggested that physical inactivity over a three- to fiveyear period can produce a worsening of symptoms, independent of depression, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, and disease course.² Symptom management in MS has emphasized medical management, but in recent years rehabilitation has been added as an adjunctive treatment.

Research examining rehabilitation in MS has progressed rapidly within the past 10 years, with an emerging body of evidence to suggest that exercise programs have a beneficial effect on both disease symptoms and the general fitness of people with MS who are ambulatory.³ Early research reported by Gehlsen et al.,⁴ Chen et al.,⁵ Brar et al.,⁶ and Petajan et al.⁷ examined the benefits of aquatic exercise, stretching exercise, and the use of baclofen for spasticity, muscle force production in the lower extremities, and physical and psychological changes, respectively.

In the past 15 years research has focused more on the type of exercise that may have an effect on MS symptoms, as well as the role of neurological rehabilitation in functional recovery. For many patients, medications to manage the disease and symptoms, as well as aggressive rehabilitation, have led to advances in functional recovery.

To View full article : register here