Effects of Exercise on the Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Process of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis- A Narrative Review

Abstract

BACKGROUND Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune and inflammatory nervous system disease. It leads to the loss of myelin in the white matter of brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, and causes tiredness, muscle cramp, tremor, unsteady gait and some inability to move. Due to the effects of exercise in patients with MS, we aimed to evaluate the effect of exercise on the therapeutic and recovery process of patients with MS. In this study, a narrative review was conducted using keywords, including Multiple Sclerosis, exercise, recovery, treatment, through searching in international scientific databases, such as PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus, on articles published form inception. Different types of exercises were assessed and reported by the researchers as beneficial rehabilitation strategies for patients to manage symptoms restore function, optimize quality of life, promote wellness and back to activities of daily living. These exercises include endurance exercises (aerobics), balance exercises, flexibility exercises, yoga exercises, hypnosis exercises, physiotherapy exercises and exercise in water. Because of positive effects of sport exercises, it is recommended that training program be considered as a complementary treatment alongside other treatments for MS patients.

Sección IV: Tratamiento sintomático en esclerosis múltiple<br>Capítulo 1<br>Déficit motor y espasticidad

“…4 El mejor tratamiento para la fatiga es el ejercicio como parte de un enfoque multidisciplinario, ya que mejora tanto la potencia de resistencia como la coordinación del paciente. 5 En afección del miembro superior, los programas de destrezas orientados a tareas específicas mostraron eficacia para mejorar la función, manteniendo el efecto hasta tres meses. 4 Los programas multimodales que agrupen técnicas de terapia física, deglución, terapia de ocupaciones, tendrán mejor resultado que la terapia unimodal.…”