Climbing up the wall with MS?
David Parsons
Open Door - November 2006 pages 12-13
Firstly let me tell you a little about myself. I have been experiencing MS symptoms for approximately five years but was only diagnosed 18 months ago. Luckily I only have slight symptoms now, the main being poor balance, an inability to run and difficulty in walking for long periods. My left leg and foot are weaker than the right due to the MS.
Before 2001 I was very energetic and was constantly involved in outdoor pursuits - hill and mountain walking in Snowdonia and the Lake District, cycling (road and mountain) and a little football now and again. All of those activities stopped in 2001. Strangely enough I never discovered climbing properly until recently.
With my wife's support I have joined a local climbing club and we both now climb on a regular basis.
I found exercise regimes boring and monotonous and sometimes it was difficult to generate the motivation needed to keep fit. I also found weight-based exercises difficult to perform due to my balance problems. It is so easy to take the attitude - 'I have MS so I can't do this or that' and therefore you don't. I was in fact turning into the proverbial couch potato.
Climbing has given me a new lease of life. I have met lots of new people and made many good friends through the climbing club. There is no better sense of achievement than when you do well or complete a route on a wall and reach the top. Even people who don't like heights should take solace from the fact that my wife was very scared of heights, but a month ago was scaling a near vertical rock face in Llangollen.
The exercise is not only interesting and challenging but it is 'non-impact' and can be as gentle as you want it to be. There is no pressure to become a super-fit extreme climber - far from it. There are many people, myself included, who just want some exercise, a bit of a challenge and a little fun along the way.
Age is not a barrier either. My seven year old daughter has taken to climbing with us. There is also a member of the club who climbs each week who is 79.
We have been going for about three months now, about fives times per fortnight, and my strength, balance, posture and walking have all improved since we started climbing. It's easy to notice a real difference. Before, I struggled to walk up a flight of stairs without wobbling this way and that. Maybe part of it is placebo, but who cares, I now feel much better, and that's what counts.
If you want a few nights per week away from the TV and really want to do some exercise that (in my opinion) is (a) better than any gym, (b) cheaper than a gym and (c) more interesting than home exercise, then you could do worse than going to your local indoor climbing centre and having a go.
Aim for a club rather than just a wall at a leisure centre. The reason I say this is because they should all do what our club call a taster session. It's about one hour of supervised introduction to indoor climbing to see if you like it or not. If you think, 'yeah, this could be good' then get inducted; this will then give you permission to use the club whenever you like without supervision. You will learn basic rope knots (to tie onto your harness), belaying (controlling the rope for the climber) and some basic equipment use.
It is all very safe and with a top-rope set-up there is never any fall. Your belay partner will lower you down safely when you have reached the top or simply run-out of steam.
Our club organised a trip to Llangollen, which I was very hesitant about joining after just three weeks of indoor climbing. But my wife convinced me that we should both attend and I thoroughly enjoyed it. What an experience! Climbing outdoors is different because instead of using fixed holds found on an indoor wall, you can use anything. "Be careful though" our instructor told us, "because some rock could be loose"! No worries though, again it's all toproped so any slips will never result in a fall at all. And because it is higher, the rewards when you reach the top are greater too!
Since then we have joined them on another trip, this time to the Peak District. I completed six climbs, some easier than others, but all of them thoroughly enjoyable. A real sense of achievement ran through me. A quick stop at a local pub afterwards was very welcome and gave everyone a chance to talk about the day.
We have been lucky to meet some great people along with doing something that I enjoy and has been of benefit to me.
No special level of fitness or prior experience is required to enjoy a beginners' taster session. So what are you waiting for? Climbing will improve your concentration, body control, balance, and is very good for your physical health, not to mention your confidence and overall sense of well-being. Feeling better could just be a few climbs away. And remember what my physio told me (and has more than likely told you too) that "a little exercise regularly is better than no exercise at all!"
Links
Wolf Mountain
David's local climbing centre in Wolverhampton
01902 711186 / www.wolfmountain.co.uk
British Mountaineering Council
Find climbing centres and resources around the UK
0870 010 4878 / www.thebmc.co.uk
Calvert Trust
Specialises in outdoor activities for people with a disability at their centres in Exmoor, Keswick and Kielder
017687 72255 / www.calvert-trust.org.uk
If climbing isn't for you...
The Staying Active section of this website is full of ideas and links for sports, activities and leisure pursuits for people with MS. So, if climbing isn't for you, how about joining a rambling group - where you can look at mountains from the bottom. Or how about fencing or fishing or photography?
Join the Open Door mailing list to receive your own copy through the post (UK addresses only) or by email.
Disclaimer
Open Door articles are reproduced as published. They are not updated to take account of subsequent developments. Use appropriate caution in acting on the information in any article.
