PosstEx - Multiple Sclerosis

           Medical Exercise and fitness professionals working with clients with neurological conditions have an increased prevalence of these conditions within our society over the past few decades, one of many conditions is multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a chronic, inflammatory neurological disease that is primarily diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40, affecting a little fewer than 1 in 1000 people—about 2.5 million people worldwide (Moore et al., 2016). Multiple sclerosis is two to three times more prevalent in females than males, and, unfortunately, the cause is not known and there is currently no cure (Moore et al., 2016). MS causes an individual’s immune system to initiate an attack against its nervous tissue (nerve-insulating myelin) is found in the brain and spinal cord and can be unpredictable in how it affects each person.

          MS can vary from relatively mild to slightly disabling to devastating, as the transmission of information from the brain and other areas of the human body is interrupted. It appears to disrupt the normal function of the central nervous system (CNS) to integrate sensory information and respond accordingly. It can impact controls of simple musculoskeletal reflexes without input from the brain. An example of CNS in action would be regulating the gait cycle in an ordered fashion through a sequence of voluntary and automatic processes. The fundamental gait pattern is an automated method that results from rhythmic reciprocal bursts of flexor and extensor motion. Having glitches in the CNS system may trigger symptoms that may cause nervous system problems numbness, tingling, weakness, and reduced ability to move a body part.

          Impairments related to the disease process itself are irreversible by exercise, but impairments resulting from deconditioning are often reversible with exercise (Sandoval, 2013). Participation in supervised small group or one-on-one Medical Exercise sessions can improve an individual fitness level and reduce the likelihood of additional comorbidities associated with a sedentary lifestyle. These comorbidities in MS have further been connected with a raised possibility of inability development because of reduced aerobic capacity, decreased muscle strength, increased muscle atrophy as well as further neurologic risks (e.g., stroke, etc) (Sandoval, 2013).

Multiple sclerosis (MS)

• Scorpaena (muscle wasting)
• Fall Reduction Education and Ex POC

References

Moore, G. E., Durstine, J. L., & Painter, P. L. (2016). Acsm's exercise management for persons with chronic diseases and disabilities. Human Kinetics.

Sandoval, A. E. G. (2013). Exercise in multiple sclerosis. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, 24(4), 605–618. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmr.2013.06.010