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Stay Active Research into activity and MS

Petajan JH, Gappmaier E, White AT, Spencer MK, Mino L, Hicks RW.
Impact of aerobic training on fitness and quality of life in multiple sclerosis.
Annals of Neurology 1996;39:432-441.

For many years, people with MS were told to avoid exercise in case it worsened fatigue or the increase in body heat triggered other symptoms. This view was overturned by this research study in 1996, which showed specific benefits of exercise for people with MS.

The trial compared a group of 27 people with mild to moderate MS who followed an exercise programme for 15 weeks with a similar group who didn’t exercise. None of the people in either group had been exercising before the trial.

At the end of the study, people from the exercise group were showing reduced fatigue levels and improvements in strength, mobility and bowel and bladder function. They also reported improved mood and showed a reduction in stored fat and markers associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Woyciechowska J, Israel DJ, Hoffman RG, Wittmers LE.
Application of cooling techniques during exercise in MS patients.
MS Management 1995;2(2):25-29.

This early study compared different ways of cooling to see if they had an effect on the capacity for exercise in people with MS prone to heat sensitivity. It found that cooling by all means had a beneficial effect. Using a cooling suit or sitting by a fan wearing wet clothing produced a gradual but long lasting cooling, whilst drinking crushed ice drinks caused a more rapid cooling. Some people found that if they drank too quickly they began shivering, which reduced the effect.

Stuifbergen AK.
Physical activity and perceived health status in persons with multiple sclerosis.
Journal of Neuroscience Nursing 1997;29(4):238-243.

The strong relationship between levels of daily activity and general health and functional ability found in this study led the researcher to conclude that it is important for people with MS to maximise activity within their daily lives.

Activity levels in a sample of 37 people with MS were measured. These were found to be much lower than norms reported for the general population and for people with a variety of other chronic conditions.

Higher activity scores were associated with higher scores on the measures of physical functioning and general health. Those people in the sample who reported engaging in regular exercise had significantly higher scores on the measure of physical functioning than those who did not exercise, although non formal exercise such as gardening or vacuuming were shown to also have some effect.

Sutherland G, Andersen MB.
Exercise and multiple sclerosis: physiological, psychological, and quality of life issues.
Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2001;41:421-432.

Much of the research into exercise for people with MS had examined the physical effect and focused on responses in terms of heart rate, blood pressure, cardiorespiratory fitness, etc. Little research had focused on understanding how exercise affects psychosocial factors and brings about changes in depression, mood, well-being and quality of life.

This paper provided a summary of the research exploring the efficacy of physical activity for people with MS. Although study numbers were small, exercise did seem to have had a positive effect on mood.

Mostert S, Kesselring J.
Effects of a short-term exercise training program on aerobic fitness, fatigue, health perception and activity level of subjects with multiple sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis 2002;8:161-168.

A study in Switzerland also recorded beneficial effects of exercise. 26 people with MS were assigned to either an exercise group or a group performing no exercise. Activity level, fatigue and health perception were measured by means of questionnaires. The exercise consisted of five half hour sessions per week of bicycle exercise.

Compared with baseline, the MS training group demonstrated a significant improvement of health perception, an increase of activity level and a tendency to less fatigue. No changes were observed for the group not exercising.

Wang C, Collet JP, Lau J.
The effect of tai chi on health outcomes in patients with chronic conditions: a systematic review.
Archives of Internal Medicine 2004;164:493-501.

Tai chi with its combination of deep breathing, relaxation and slow precise movements has become an increasingly popular activity for people with MS. Research in Boston Massachusetts suggested that there is also evidence of medical benefit.

Researchers analysed 47 controlled and observational studies looking at the impact tai chi had on people with chronic health problems, including MS.

Although there were limitations or biases in most studies, they found that longterm tai chi practice had favourable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in older people. It was also found to reduce pain, stress and anxiety.

Oken B, Kishiyama S, Zajdel D, Bourdette D, Carlsen J, et al.
Randomized controlled trial of yoga and exercise in multiple sclerosis.
Neurology 2004;62:2058-2064.

Yoga and exercise are equally effective in improving symptoms of fatigue in people with MS, according to research in Oregon.

The study recruited 69 people with minimal mobility problems who had not been regularly performing yoga, tai chi, or aerobic exercise in the previous six months. Participants were assigned to one of three groups: weekly yoga classes along with home practice, weekly exercise classes using a stationary bicycle along with home exercise, or a control group.

Both yoga and exercise produced improvement in measures of fatigue and quality of life when compared with the control group. The study also looked for improvements in attention and alertness, but no improvement was observed.

“The absence of significant effects on mood and cognitive measures needs to be interpreted cautiously and is still open to investigation,” said Dr Barry Oken, who led the trial. “There is a possibility that mood improvements contributed to these improvements in quality of life and fatigue.”