Can Persons with Multiple Sclerosis Tolerate Exercise?
Until recently, there was concern that persons with MS may not be able to tolerate aerobic exercise regimens, primarily because of their susceptibility to heat-related worsening of symptoms and neurological impairment. There are now evidence-based data that not only can persons with MS tolerate standard aerobic exercise, but also that they can benefit from it.1 Most studies of the benefits of rehabilitation in persons with MS have focused primarily on functional outcomes. In contrast, the studies of exercise in the MS population have addressed more specific questions. These include the effects of exercise in ameliorating specific deficits such as muscle weakness, fatigue, improvement in fitness parameters, mood, and quality of life. Studies indicate that persons with MS can show improvement in all of these areas using a variety of training and exercise protocols.2–6 In 1996, the seminal study of Petajan et al. conducted a randomized controlled trial of aerobic exercise in patients with
