In my last few entries I've felt like I didn't clearly spell out the purpose of this blog.
Because of exercise I am stronger and healthier than I ever thought I could be. Using an exercise routine for pain management and fatigue reduction is something I had to more or less discover on my own with my neurologist's approval. When I first began a workout plan I was advised to take proper steps to not over exert myself and to be aware of issues such as compromised balance and heat intolerance. I want so badly for others to have the same increased quality of life that a workout plan has brought me.

After a brief search I found many articles supporting my experience (linked below) but one thing I did not find in my research, was a practical plan that someone with a disability could put into practice. Practical advice and first hand experiences are what I hope to share with this blog.

http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/62/11/2058 - Here I found a trial showing that subjects with MS participating in either a 6-month yoga class or exercise class showed significant improvement in measures of fatigue compared to a waiting-list control group.

http://msj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/8/2/161 - Compared with baseline, the MS training group demonstrated a significant rightward placement of the aerobic threshold, an improvement of health perception, an increase of activity level and a tendency toward less fatigue.

http://www.sportsmedicine.adisonline.com/pt/re/spo/abstract.00007256-200434150-00005.htm;jsessionid=JQrLFnTXV1CQN2yv4QSr4GvLQBJZzMvBCMJnMnnv8gThtNhrFQ96!-1046349743!181195628!8091!-1 - A growing number of studies indicate that exercise in patients with mild-to-moderate MS provides similar fitness and psychological benefits as it does in healthy controls.We reviewed numerous studies describing the responses of selected MS patients to acute and chronic exercise compared with healthy controls. All training studies reported positive outcomes that outweighed potential adverse effects of the exercise intervention

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6703889 - A planned daily schedule of activity and rest seemed to be a partially effective response to symptomatic fatigue for the majority of subjects studied.

http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/11/2034- Walking speed improved in this randomized study. The results confirm that exercise is safe for multiple sclerosis patients and should be recommended for those with mild to moderate disability.

http://msj.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/14/1/35- During recent years, it has been increasingly acknowledged that exercise benefits MS patients. Also, resistance training of moderate intensity seems to be well tolerated and to have beneficial effects on MS patients.


It sounds so counter intuitive to say that working out provides more energy and less fatigue but medical science and my own experiences point to the fact that it does in fact do just that!