“Exercise is currently your best defence to slow the progression of MS”

Exercise and MS

There is increasing research showing that if exercise is started in the early stages of the MS disease, the long-term severity and disability level can be reduced. Combining exercise with the latest disease-modifying medication brings significantly more hope of an improved quality of life for those living with MS.

Exercise is neuroprotective

Neurological protection

When you exercise vigorously, there is an improved blood supply to your brain, and key chemicals are released, increasing synapse (nerve) activity, which is vital for maintaining brain health. Regular exercise can positively impact the central nervous system throughout the trajectory of MS. Exercise can reduce the risk of MS, reduce relapse rates, increase day-to-day function and improve quality of life.

The key point is that inactivity causes a faster physical decline, so the stronger and fitter an individual with MS is, the more control they have.

Research

Everything MS Get a Head Start does is evidence based

Exercise has also been proven to make positive impacts upon:

  • Cardiovascular fitness

  • Increased strength and day-to-day function

  • Decreasing fatigue

  • Improving and protecting cognitive function

  • Increasing and maintaining bone density

  • Increased metabolic drive

  • Improving balance

  • Reducing the risk of falling

  • Improved psychological wellbeing

  • Reducing pain

  • Decreasing spasticity

  • Overall improvement in quality of life

What about fatigue?

There can be many barriers to exercise, and one of the main ones for people living with MS is fatigue. As you will learn through the programme, exercise can have a positive effect on fatigue, and will NOT make your fatigue worse if you follow the guidelines on how to correctly exercise for your MS. To date there has been no research article published on MS and exercise that has recorded any form of adverse effect from exercise or that exercise has caused a relapse.

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