Rehabilitation For Multiple Sclerosis: What Kind Of Rehabilitation Will I Need
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What kind of rehabilitation will I need?
Your rehabilitation program will depend upon your specific needs based on the type of MS that you have and how it has impacted your daily living. You do not need to be severely disabled to enjoy the benefits of rehabilitation. Your rehabilitation may include a combination of the following therapies or only one, depending on your personal needs.
Physical therapy
Relapsing-remitting MS, the most common type of MS, may cause a variety of physical problems at different times. Your physical therapy program will reflect the kinds of exercises you are able to do at any given time.
Physical therapy will usually consist of alternating exercise with periods of rest for the best results. Depending on your ability, exercise usually includes gentle aerobic exercise (such as walking) and aquatics—exercising in water—which reduces the effects that gravity has on your muscles and joints. You should be able to obtain a greater range of motion in the water.
Occupational therapy
Your need for occupational therapy will depend on your personal symptoms and disability from MS. Occupational therapy may help with activities such as getting dressed, brushing your teeth, grooming, eating, cooking, cleaning your house, or any other task that you are having difficulty completing.
An occupational therapist will assess your living environment to see whether you need assistive devices such as a cane to help you walk, hooks to help you button your clothes, an electric toothbrush, or a wheelchair.
The occupational therapist may help the physical therapist recommend strengthening and stretching exercises and other activities that will help you the most.
Speech therapy
Speech therapy may be part of your rehabilitation if weak facial muscles or lesions (injured tissue from demyelination) in the brain have affected your ability to talk or swallow.
Your normal speech rhythm may be interrupted by long pauses between words or syllables. You may also begin to slur your words or have a nasal tone when you speak. Speech therapy may help strengthen the muscles in your tongue, cheeks, mouth, and lips, which may reduce these symptoms.
If you have difficulty swallowing, a speech therapist may recommend strengthening exercises and help you identify foods that are easier to swallow.
Cognitive retraining
Many people with MS develop some kind of cognitive impairment—usually slowed thinking, reasoning, remembering, or concentrating—from demyelination and the interruption to the flow of messages to and from the brain. However, only a small number of people have resulting cognitive problems severe enough to interfere with daily activities. For these people, cognitive retraining may help reduce cognitive disability.
Cognitive retraining offers ways to reduce the effects of cognitive disability. For instance, you may become better organized by retraining yourself to rely on a notebook, computer, handheld computer, or filing system to help you store and recall information.
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Why is rehabilitation important if I have MS?
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Rehabilitation for multiple sclerosis
| Last updated: | March 23, 2006 |
|---|---|
| Author: | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH |
| Reviewed By: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Barrie J. Hurwitz, MD - Neurology |
| Editors: | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman |
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