Once You Have Lost Mobility Due To MS, Can You Get It Back?

I have PMS. If I work on building my muscles will I improve my mobility? Is it possible to get my motion back? I was told once I lost it, I won't get it back. Is this true?

It is certainly possible to restore motion and enhance fitness and well being even with severe disability but often to achieve success requires the use of sophisticated rehabilitation equipment such as the lokomat system, the Giger MD locomotion system and the functional electrical stimulation bicycle. This type of equipment is often available in spinal cord rehabilitation institutes and in some physical therapy departments. In San Diego, one of my colleagues, Dr Marcus Bradley has a non profit rehabilitation institute with this capability called VIP neurorehabilitation. Check out their website and try them out if you live in Southern California. Otherwise, look into rehabilitation institutes in your area.

Revere (Rip) Kinkel MD
Director of the Multiple Sclerosis Program
Professor of Clinical Neurosciences
University of California San Diego

At the Mandell Center we certainly work on strength, but also balance and stretching.  A good idea would be to find a physical therapist in the area who is an MS Specialist (MSCS).  To find one, go to www.mscare.org, this is the website of The Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers.  Click on "contact us", fill out the form and ask to be connected with a physical therapist who is an MS Specialist in your area.  It is hard to offer specifics on-line, but an evaluation and maybe some treatment by a skilled PT would give suggestions as to specific types of stretching and /or strengthening exercises would be appropriate.

Lori Ann Kostich M.S. CCC-SLP
Mandell Center for Multiple Sclerosis
Hartford, Connecticut