- Home
- Conditions
- Neurological
- Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis affects the nerve coating in the brain and spinal cord, and its symptoms vary enormously between people and over time. Exercise was once discouraged; that advice has been reversed, and it is now well established as safe and beneficial. The practical challenges are pacing around fatigue and managing heat sensitivity, which can temporarily worsen symptoms.
5.0
Does this sound like you?
Most people have several of these, not all of them.
- Fatigue, which is frequently the most disabling symptom
- Weakness, often affecting one side or the legs more
- Balance and coordination difficulty
- Altered sensation, numbness or pins and needles
- Symptoms temporarily worsening with heat or exertion
Why it happens
- An immune-mediated attack on the coating around nerves
- Genetic predisposition combined with environmental factors
- Low vitamin D and reduced sunlight exposure are associated
- More common in women, often diagnosed between twenty and forty
What we would do about it
Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.
- Strength and aerobic exercise, now well supported by evidence
- Fatigue management and pacing built into the program
- Balance and walking retraining
- Heat management strategies during and after exercise
- Adapting the program around relapses rather than abandoning it
- NDIS supported plans where funding applies
See a doctor first if
- Your pain followed a significant injury
- It is getting worse rather than settling
- It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.
Exercise is now recommended, not avoided
The old advice to rest has been overturned. Structured exercise improves strength, walking and fatigue in MS — the skill is pacing it around your symptoms. Ask a question first, or call us on 0403 907 587.
Trouble with the form? Open booking in a new tab or call 0403 907 587.
Other neurological conditions we treat
Related reading: balance and falls prevention, fatigue management and other progressive conditions.
General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Multiple Sclerosis on Physiopedia.
