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.

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.

Book a neuro assessment Ask a question first

Or call us on 0403 907 587 — we see patients across Seaton.

Other neurological conditions we treat

Stroke Rehabilitation Parkinson's Disease Vertigo and BPPV Balance and Falls

Back to all neurological conditions

General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Multiple Sclerosis on Physiopedia.

Multiple Sclerosis