Exercise & MS

[Heather1987]

We are all told exercise is good and should be encouraged in someone with MS. Im wondering if there is anyone out there who likes to jog and if they still are able to do this with MS. I find this is getting more and more difficult as the tingling, numbness and weird neuropathic feelings in my feet and legs seem to progressively get worse when I do this. Over the past couple of years these feelings come and go and have included spinal tingling if I looked to the gound. There are other exercises that dont seem to aggrevate this, so for now am adjusting my fitness regime. I just wondering if anyone here have dealt with this  and if it is normal. Thanks heather

[MCBCON]

If I run to the corner about a tenth of mile away I am done in.

[Guitar_grrrl]

When my balance issues are an issue (which thankfully happen in "chunks" of time as opposed to constantly), I don't ride my bike.  But I'm still able to ride, albeit much shorter distances than I used to.

I try not to overdo it, but sometimes I do, and my body lets me know for the next 2 - 3 days with extreme fatigue and weakness.  It's just that when I'm riding all the gorgeous back roads, my mood is sooo much better, and any depression either due to MS or menopausal changes (I'm not sure which is which, LOL) is lifted.

[JemmAus]

I wonder why that is...the horse vs the bike. I'm the same. UNless it's because the horse is the one keeping one upright........weird isn't it? Maybe it;s because on a bike we have to rely on ourselve sto be upright, but on a horse the horse does it for us.....

Horse riding is good Heather!

[HVAC]

Heather everyone is different but I actually have great balance on the horse where as I don't on the bike.

[Heather1987]

Hi Carol
I could not belive how much I could relate to your reply to my posting. Some months I can jog and deal with the feelings and other times it is just too bad and legs too wea so I cant. It gets me down but keep pushing myself as it is something I love to do and it relieves stress when I have a good day jogging that is. I was training for my first 1/2 marathon when my symptoms all started and everyone said you are over  doing it, it must be the running that is doing this to you. I also thought it was my age being 46.
At the moment I have seen one neurologist that says he is confident I have MS but another neurologist will not commit to it. I felt I had to ask this question as deep down I know it is MS.
I too, like you had mainly problems with my legs but then took a relapse where my left arm became weak and I still have intermittent burning along the top of it.
I will continue to keep it up when I can but really wondering now how much longer I will be able to do this. Life for today , thats what I say!
    Thank you Alex for your reply too, This gives me food for thought and will look at other avenues to explore, yoga sounds great and riding is one thing I have said to my husband I would love to start again but was not sure how my balance would be.
Best wishes Heather        

[wiggles94]

Hi Heather,

I used to love to jog - I have run a marathon, and 1/2 marathons - so after years of having 5 miles be my max, when I got closer to 50, I began to increase my mileage so I could run a marathon when I turned 50.

I ignored many sx - burning, tingling, pain, feelings of being off balance when I ran - numbness - I just thought it had to do with too much running, aging, - But when I began having numbness in my left arm - that got my attention.

I was dx last Feb - but my running has been getting harder over the past 3 years or so - and this is one thing that had me worried -even walking was getting harder -(felt slow  - and I couldn't speed up when I wanted to without great effort and fatigue)!  

My docs all tell me "keep running!"  So I try - and have days when I feel pretty good and can go 3-4 miles. I go very slow  - But I can't do it as often as I used to.  So I try to at least walk or run as often as possible - I have also tried doing more with the exercycle, light weights and core work on a stability ball.

One of the hardest things for me (I'm married to a man who has done 4 ironman competitions around the world) has been to adjust my exercise - Running is how I deal with stress, emotions, etc - it keeps me grounded.  BUT , I am getting more accepting of listening to my body and doing the best I can - but not being so hard on myself if I can't do it.  I know compared to a lot of people - I should be very thankful that I can walk.  And I am - it's just tough adjusting to the new "me" and it's a process.

I think "normal" is different for everyone with MS.  And finding that new "normal" takes time and work.  Thanks for bringing up this topic.  Can you run at all anymore?

Be well!
Carol

[HVAC]

Wendy Booker who was not a runner ran the Boston Marathon twice after her diagnosis of MS and climbed to the top of the highest peak on every continent, except she did not make it to the top of Everest. But everyone's MS is different.

I have PPMS and I can't jog anymore, nor do I have the balance for cycling. I took a yoga class and liked it until we got a new instructor who grabbed my shoulder and messed it up. It took months to recover. I now still do yoga at home. I have done water exercises which I like and swimming. I walk when I am able. Some days I can, some days I can't.

Now I am taking formal dressage riding lessons which I love. Once a week on a horse and my legs look great. It helps with core, balance, and cognitive since there is so much to think about at once. I get the speed from the horse. Also I can't be stressed or the horse picks up on it so I have to clear my mind.

The point is everyone is affected by MS differently. Some people can do very little, some can do more. It also changes from time to time if you have RRMS. For those who are badly disabled you do need a PT trained in MS to set up an exercise program for others it is working out what you can and adjusting with your disease.

For those who are not able to exercise I think they should not be hard on themselves. For those who can we need to keep moving even if we have to change what we do.

My Brother was a Marathon Runner but he is in his fifties so I gave him my racing bike and he rides that instead, so everyone has to adjust with age.

Alex