Living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a challenging and unpredictable experience. It’s an autoimmune disease, meaning that the immune system mistakenly attacks itself, leaving the nervous system disrupted. People with MS often experience symptoms like difficulties with coordination, motor skills and balance; maintaining a good quality of life in spite of these problems can be an uphill battle. However, two studies have shown how specific physical activities can help restore balance and coordination to those suffering MS: Tai Chi and ballet.
First, let’s look at a 2014 study on the beneficial effects of Tai Chi for balance, coordination, fatigue and depression among people with MS. Tai Chi combines exercise and mindfulness practices and is well-suited to anyone with impaired motor skills and balance issues due to its slow-moving and low-impact nature. Researchers divided a group of 32 MS patients into two: a treatment as usual (TAU) group and a Tai Chi group. The Tai Chi group participated in structured Tai Chi course twice a week for six months. After the six-month period, the Tai Chi group showed significant improvements in terms of balance, coordination, and depression compared to the TAU group. In short, Tai Chi holds great therapeutic potential for people with MS.
Ballet was the focus of another study investigating its effects on coordination in MS patients. Participants took part in a twice-weekly structured classical ballet class for four months. Researchers hypothesized that the whole-body movement involved in ballet might stimulate the mechanisms improving conduction in MS so that coordination could improve and reduce ataxia symptoms. Additionally, the researchers considered the coupling of music with ballet as potentially beneficial for improving motor skills in people with MS. The study was relatively small, but those who took part showed significant improvements on all measures, including balance and walking ability.
Exercise should be considered a first-line treatment for pain syndromes like MS. Specifically, low-impact yet highly-coordinated movements like Tai Chi and ballet can be extremely beneficial for people with low bone density or pain because load-bearing exercise improves bone density and repairs the myelin sheath. Incorporating these types of exercises into a twice-weekly routine along with maintaining a balanced diet may greatly improve quality of life for MS patients.
