Exercise programme 'can aid MS treatment'

A research team from Case Western University has designed an exercise programme to help people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) become more physically active.

The 24-week programme is based on a series of pamphlets with varying levels of difficulty. It enables people to begin at lower levels and build up to longer, more challenging exercise regimes.

A home-based exercise programme was developed to increase people's motivation to exercise, focusing on the five stages of readiness to exercise and change behaviour: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.

Researchers recruited a group of 30 women with cases of relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and low motivation to exercise. They were given a pamphlet based on their current levels of physical activity to encourage them to exercise.

Follow-up studies were conducted every three weeks with questions on physical activity levels and any barriers they faced to exercising, while a physical assessment was carried out at 24 weeks.

The researchers concluded that the programme was successful in promoting physical activity and better symptom management in women with RRMS.

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