Multiple sclerosis is a sever medical condition which mainly affects young people between the ages of 20 and 40. It’s an autoimmune disease which tends to get worse over time and there’s currently no adequate medical treatment for it to reverse the demyelination process. Rehabilitation plays an important role in maintaining the patient’s ability to move and function correctly. The aim is for a longer remission period in order to improve the prognosis.
Multiple sclerosis affects the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibres in the nervous tissue and spinal column. This causes demyelination and the formation of lesions in the brain and may affect nervous tissue, the spinal column, brainstem and cerebellum. This is why the symptoms can be so diverse. They mainly relate to chronic pain, compromised sensitivity (ability to feel sensation) and vision, paresis, spasticity, problems with coordination and balance, etc.
Kinesitherapy aims to relieve the symptoms. Depending on the patient’s condition at the time, treatment focuses on strengthening the limbs by using static and dynamic movements and care is taken not to increase the body’s temperature. This, along with fatigue, would make the patient feel worse and cause serious discomfort. Stretching exercises and massage affect spasticity and care is taken with the strength and dose of medication. Motor coordination and balance exercises aim to ensure the patient is able to function on their own and carry out their everyday tasks with greater ease.
