exercise

Adults with mild to moderate multiple sclerosis (MS) are being urged to participate in a new clinical trial — STEP for MS — that will assess the impact of two different exercise programs on patients’ mobility, walking abilities, and quality of life. Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has a greater impact on women, reducing their levels of physical activity and increasing sedentary behavior, a recent study has found. The study, “Does Multiple Sclerosis Differently Impact Physical Activity in Women and Man? A Quantitative Study Based on Wearable Accelerometers” was published in the…

Adolescents with multiple sclerosis (MS) have lower levels of fitness compared with healthy teenagers of the same age and a sex, a study suggests. Findings also demonstrated that among younger MS patients, higher levels of fitness were associated with lower disease activity and disability. The study “Youth with…

My travails with MS invariably deal with what it does to me. This week, dear reader, it’s what I did to my jolly old self! I’ve got a daily light exercise routine designed for me by an occupational therapist (OT) and a physiotherapist. Why two professionals? Well, the…

MD1003 Fails to Prevent Disability Progression in Progressive MS Patients, Trial Shows This is discouraging news for people taking high-dose biotin, many who have been buying it over the counter. Not only do these researchers report that taking 100 mg of biotin (MD1003) three times a day failed to…

Adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological disorders are being recruited to take part in a 12-week clinical trial that aims to assess the health benefits of home-based tele-exercise — performed while seated — led by the Burke Neurological Institute, in New York, according to an…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who interact with different sources of health information are more likely to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyle behaviors, a study has found. A combination of in-person interactive educational workshops and practical tools to implement these concepts in daily life may be the best strategy to…

Wearing a cooling vest significantly improved the time and distance walked under conditions that can provoke heat sensitivity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a small study. The study, “Effects of a cooling vest with sham condition on walking capacity in heat-sensitive people with…

Helius Medical Technologies has filed an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking for de novo classification and clearance of its portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS) device for the treatment of walking deficits in multiple…

Smoking and Epstein-Barr Virus Combine to Raise MS Risk, Study Says A number of studies over several years have demonstrated a likely link between the Epstein-Barr virus and MS. Of course, there’s no question about the health risks of smoking. Put the two together, and it looks like double…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who exercise regularly are able to maintain volume in the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for learning and memory, a study reports. This work “adds to the growing body of evidence that exercise has many benefits for people with MS,” the National MS…

A multimedia smartphone application designed to precisely inform about exercise and track physical activity led primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) patients to be more active — but no more than a comparison patient group given only a…

Complementary and alternative medicines are increasingly popular among people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in the northwestern United States, a survey found. More than 80% of the 1,000 people who responded to the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) survey reported using supplements and exercise to help treat their MS, and…

Cognitive problems are common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) but inadequately addressed by disease-modifying therapies, while cognitive rehabilitation and exercise training programs can be effective, a review study reported.  Research studies of exercise programs need to include larger groups of patients with demonstrated cognitive difficulties, however, and more…

ReWalk Robotics is preparing to implement agreements allowing it to distribute in the U.S. two new neuro-rehabilitation devices for people with motor disabilities, including those with multiple sclerosis (MS), spinal cord injury, and stroke. Under these agreements, the company will become the sole U.S. distributor of…

Higher Risk of Vascular Disease Among MS Patients in the UK, Population-based Study Reveals You’d think that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) would be likely to have vascular disease due to the sedentary lifestyles many of us lead. But this large, lengthy study that looks at the records of…

Movements that are an act of “learning” motor tasks after lesions appear in the protective myelin sheath of neurons seem to induce both new and existing oligodendrocytes — the cells that make up myelin — to repair those lesions, a study in mice shows. Precisely timed rehabilitation programs and exercise may…

Healthcare providers should encourage everyone with multiple sclerosis (MS) to engage in regular exercise and keep physically active, new guidelines based on an expert panel convened by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society recommend. They also suggest different types of exercise applicable to people at varying levels of disability.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough device designation to Helius Medical Technologies’ portable neuromodulation stimulator (PoNS) for the treatment of walking impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The device, which is meant to be used…

Staying active can help you to manage multiple sclerosis (MS) by helping to reduce the severity and frequency of many symptoms. For example, fatigue is my worst symptom and my narcolepsy doesn’t make it any better, but a regular workout routine has reduced my exhaustion. I love the gym,…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine initiative is offering a free virtual exercise and social connection program to individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurological conditions, according to a press release. Called NeuroSask, the initiative is in collaboration with…

Regular Exercise ‘Strongly Recommended’ to Ease Fatigue in MS This may seem like a no-brainer. But once upon a time, neurologists told people with MS to avoid exercise. They told us it would overheat us or make us tired. Over the past few years, this advice has flipped 180…

Physical exercise can ease fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and potentially benefit them in many other ways, and should be part of rehabilitation programs for patients, a large review study suggests. The study, “The impact of physical exercise on the fatigue symptoms in patients with…

Tri Global Energy is again joining with fellow Texans for Bike MS, the nationwide fundraising cycling series of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS). Team Wind Force will saddle up May 16-17 for Bike MS Round-Up Ride 2020. Now in its fifth year, the Dallas area team has…

When I wrote about April Hester two years ago, she and her husband, Bernie, had just finished hiking the 500 miles of South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail. That’s no small accomplishment for anyone, but it was a particularly special achievement…

Small changes in daily activities, like sitting less and walking more, may be healthful for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) without the challenges of formal exercise. A new study, “Management of multiple sclerosis symptoms through reductions in sedentary behaviour: protocol for a feasibility study,” published in BMJ…

Higher intellectual ability and physical activity during childhood and adolescence may help protect against the development of cognitive impairment in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), an Italian study suggests. These findings, though preliminary, suggest that intellectual enrichment and early-life physical activity may reduce the likelihood of developing cognitive deficits…

Mavenclad, Ocrevus Use Rising in EU as Injectables and Tysabri Decline, Spherix Reports I’m not surprised at reports that the use of Mavenclad (cladribine) and Ocrevus (ocrelizumab) is increasing in Europe, or that the use of injectable disease-modifying therapies appears to be declining there. Mavenclad and Ocrevus are approved…

The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) has awarded a grant to Kessler Foundation researchers, supporting a pilot study into how well different low-risk exercise regimens ease multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms and improve patients’ well-being. The grant recipients are John DeLuca, PhD, senior vice president for…

The relationship between fatigue and patterns of physical activity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) is not straightforward. New findings show that, among MS patients with similar fatigue levels, there are three different types — or “clusters” — of physical behavior. Clinicians should be aware of these behavioral…