MS patients 'benefit from physiotherapy'

Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may benefit from regular visits from a physiotherapist, it has been claimed.

Physiotherapy can be beneficial for people with MS both in the early and latter stages of the condition, according to PhysioFunction.

The organisation's clinical director, Jon Graham, explained that in the early stages, physiotherapy treatment can strengthen muscles to help compensate for those weakened as the condition progresses.

He added: ""Physiotherapy can help alleviate spasms, which are rapid painful muscle contractions. A common feature of MS is fatigue."

His comments follow the publication of new research by the University of Cambridge, which indicated that damage caused by MS could be reversed by activating stem cells, which could help to repair the central nervous system by regenerating the brain's myelin sheaths, which protect nerve fibres.

Scientists are confident that the research could be used to develop drugs that encourage myelin repair in those with MS.

Read about Barchester expertise in offering multiple sclerosis support.