The meaning of exercise and physical activity in community dwelling people with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The meanings people with multiple sclerosis ascribe to exercise and physical activity extended beyond movement, reflecting how they lived with a variable neurological condition. Personal and contextual factors were dominant influences. Implications for Rehabilitation Health professionals should consider the impact personal and contextual factors have on influencing decisions around exercise and physical activity in community dwelling people with multiple sclerosis. Understanding the multidimensional and complex views people with multiple sclerosis ascribe to exercise and physical activity might help health professionals in their discussions around exercise and physical activity and create opportunities to increase physical activity levels in people with multiple sclerosis. Health professionals should recognise that people with multiple sclerosis not only engage in exercise and physical activity to manage MS symptoms, but also as a way to connect with others and cope with the variability of the condition.

‘I can do this’: a qualitative exploration of acceptability and experiences of a physical activity behaviour change intervention in people with multiple sclerosis in the UK

“…Understanding the participants’ personal context allowed the creation of an intervention that was individualised to participants’ needs and values. PA engagement is influenced by a myriad of factors for people with MS18 41 and its heterogeneous presentation requires individualisation of the format of PA interventions42 highlighting the importance of context-appropriate goals that respond to personal need 43…”

“…To ensure successful implementation and maintenance of behaviour change, interventions must consider and match the preferences and values of people with MS. Although existing literature has explored exercise and PA experiences of people with MS,18 19 to date few studies have investigated the experiences, opinions and preferences of people with MS regarding behaviour change interventions 20 21. Detailed qualitative exploration and analysis of the experiences of people with MS in such programmes has important implications for intervention refinement and informing future implementation strategies to enhance PA.…”

A qualitative exploration of physiotherapists’ perceptions about exercise and physical activity: reflections on the results from a Delphi Study

“…Physiotherapists sought to deliver exercise and physical activity interventions in a way that people with MS could gain the health benefits that lead to physical fitness. However, for people with MS, they had a complex and nuanced relationship with exercise and physical activity [12,13]. From the person with MS perspective, their engagement with exercise and physical activity was less about the health benefits and more about participating in activities they deemed meaningful (e.g self-care, domestic type activities social participation [12].…”

“…The first, aimed to identify the exercise and physical activity practices and priorities of people with MS using a Delphi approach [12]. The second aimed to explore the meanings people with MS ascribed to exercise and physical activity [13]. This paper, presents the third phase where the findings from the Delphi Study were presented to physiotherapists in order to explore the clinical implications.…”

“…It provided some evidence that people with MS conceptualise exercise and physical activity in ways that might not be fully appreciated or understood by healthcare professionals [12]. Further exploration of those findings also demonstrated that for people with MS, exercise and physical activity was beyond movement and integral to how they lived and coped with a variable progressive neurological condition [13]. These findings have clinical implications for health professionals such as physiotherapists who work with people with MS in the community.…”