MS Awareness Week highlights change in fitness perceptions
Today sees the start of MS Awareness Week (27 April – 3 May). The week seeks to highlight the importance of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) specialist services and ensure everyone affected by MS can access the best possible care.
MS is a disease of the central nervous system. There are over 100,000 people living with MS in the UK today, and there are roughly three times as many women with MS as men. Around 100 more people are diagnosed every week.
The Multiple Sclerosis Trust has a campaign to boost the numbers of MS specialist nurses and therapists with expertise in MS working in the health system.
As the national charity dedicated to disabled people in sport and physical activity, the English Federation of Disability Sport seeks to highlight the opportunities available to people with MS.
Joseph’s Court, in Colchester, Essex, is run by the charity MS-UK Opened July 2012, the centre offers a wide range of activities and makes available a whole host of specialised equipment designed to build muscle strength and tone. There is also a therapy room on site.
“What we like to do is to have a community-based approach,” Alan Pearson, an MS-UK wellness coach working at Joseph’s Court, tells EFDS.
“We’re an activity Wellness Centre based in the community that makes you feel like a person, not a patient.”
Open five days a week, the Wellness Centre caters not only for people with MS but for others with muscular or neurological conditions.
“We have fitness equipment that’s specifically designed for people with mobility issues, such as passive cycles where people can put in as much or as little effort as they can,” explains Vicky Timmins, another Joseph’s Court employee.
“But, as much as it’s about exercise, Joseph’s Court has also become a community hub for people in the area who have MS. There is a kitchen and people are encouraged to sit and have a cup of tea, though more seating and a coffee shop might be our next step.
“If you’re a visitor we guarantee that there will always be someone on hand who will have a good knowledge of your condition, as well as having empathy and compassion.”
"There is a can-do attitude"
That communal aspect is important, says Timmins, as newly-developed friendships or a shared purpose can help people on their journey to better fitness and wellness.
“These are people who have MS but they are not going to let it beat them. There is a can-do attitude, and everyone is being proactive.
“We have people here who are newly diagnosed, but also people who were diagnosed 30 or 40 years ago who were told at the time they wouldn’t be able to do any physical activity because they had MS. Now we’re seeing such improvements.
“It’s so much more than just exercise, because people form all sorts of new friendships in this magnificent place. It transcends just exercise, and people are encouraged and spur each other on.”
Shifting perceptions
Regular exercise is important in maintaining optimum health and managing MS. Exercise can improve cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, mobility, balance and coordination.
But that wasn’t always the perception, and only recently have attitudes shifted regarding the wisdom of exercising if you have the condition.
“It’s only in the last four or five years that perceptions towards MS and exercise have started to change,” admits Pearson.
“Now people see all the benefits of physical activity and fitness training. It can have a positive effect. We’re getting people moving, helping with their social as well as physical wellbeing, and kicking into action various endorphins that will make them feel a whole lot better.”
Walking, swimming, yoga, physiotherapy...
The MS-UK website contains useful information about lifestyle, diet and fitness. It highlights walking, swimming, yoga, physiotherapy and gym sessions as just some of the fitness approaches now open to people with MS.
“Group training is an excellent social activity, as much as it’s about specific fitness outcomes,” says Pearson, who would like to see a nationwide expansion of the Joseph’s Court model.
“More centres across the country would allow more people to have the opportunity to get involved and help break down barriers to exercise. It needs to be about activity and wellness to counter a negative perception of exercise.
“People recall what they used to be able to do prior to MS, and now they realise they can’t do it anymore, so they are fearful of alternatives. But what we offer is a controlled environment, and we can start helping people onto stepping stones along their own personal journey.”
"People are often surprised by what can be achieved”
It’s a journey increasing numbers of people with MS are now able to take. For Timmins, Joseph’s Court offers visitors the perfect environment to begin combining managing MS with a new exercise regime.
“Everyone is individual and MS is not a blanket condition,” she says.
“But with the right support from somebody who knows what they’re doing – and we have physios here as well as massage therapists and wellness coaches – people are often surprised by what can be achieved.”
MS-UK believes that an active approach to MS symptom management can help people come to terms with their condition and find ways to enjoy a healthy, active and fulfilling life. EFDS exists to make active lives possible. Both MS-UK and EFDS can also be found on social media.
