What is Multiple Sclerosis?
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition of the central nervous system affecting over 7,000 people and their families in Ireland.
Causes
This is an area that is researched on an on-going basis but it is believed to be caused by a mixture of environmental factors and your own genetic makeup.
Environmentally, the climate seems to have some relevance to the development of MS as it is more common in cold and damp climates where there is little sunlight and so a lack of Vitamin D. For example, in Northern Ireland where cold and rainy weather is generally experienced, a higher amount of MS cases can be found compared to the rest of the country. On the genetic side, the amount of women with MS is double that of men.
MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease where the nerve cells that transport messages between your brain and body are damaged. A gap then develops along the message path, disrupting the flow of the messages travelling to and from the brain and body. As a result the message is either distorted in some way or completely lost affecting the individual’s health and lifestyle in different ways.
No two people are the same and likewise the condition affects each individual differently. The symptoms that arise depend on which particular nerve cells have been damaged therefore a wide range of symptoms occur and tend to differ greatly from one patient to the next. Some of the more common symptoms that can develop include fatigue, sensory disturbance (vision problems), muscle weakness and lack of balance and co-ordination.
Treatments
Physiotherapy on its own or in conjunction with appropriate medication can help people with MS to live a more comfortable and active life by helping to lessen the effects of the condition through exercise. A Chartered Physiotherapist can assess the physical difficulties you are having and be able to help restore more normal movement by setting you an exercise regime designed specifically for you.
The suggested exercise plan can help you to:
- Coordinate movements
- Control movements to reduce muscle spasms
- Strengthen muscles
- Improve coordination
- Reduce stiffness by keeping joints mobile
- Address Balance issues and retrain Balance
- Assist in Preventing falls
Physiotherapy exercises can also help in preventative manner by ensuring that further disability from muscle disuse does not occur.
Once taught to you by the Chartered Physiotherapist, these exercises can be continued at home and only need to be progressed when needed, helping you to help yourself. Impaired mobility can be the most disruptive symptom for people living with MS so it is important to try and maximise mobility to maintain as active a lifestyle as possible.
Physical difficulties, such as reduced mobility is only one of the challenges facing people living with MS. There are other factors to consider such as the emotional and social struggles that patients living with MS may encounter.
For further information on living with MS and up to date research please click http://www.mobilitymattersinms.ie/ie/home.aspx
Our Chartered Physiotherapists that have great experience treating patients with MS include:
- Barrow street – Kate
- Cork – Mahon – Breda
- Drumcondra – Claudia
- Galway- Ciaran
- IFSC – Kate
- Lucan- John Jordan
- Mallow – Kevina
- Navan Road – Eimear
- Raheny – Eoin
- Santry- Declan
- Temple Bar – Sinead
- Waterford – Maria
Can we help you? Please click here for an appointment.
