Multiple Sclerosis Case Study

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Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system where the immune system attacks the myelin sheath of nerve fibers. This can result in communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body (Kjølhede, Vissing, & Dalgas, 2012). Depending on the type of MS, patients suffer neurological and functional declines ranging from slow to rapid deterioration. This causes patients suffering from MS to typically show signs of reduced muscular strength during stationary and moving muscle contractions with the impairment being primarily in the lower extremity. There have been signs of minor changes in the proportion of fiber types in these MS patients as well. A shift in the proportion of fiber types from …show more content…
The primary explanation of the trend is that it’s caused by muscle imbalances caused by the presence of weak muscles caused from inactivity. A common trend with this population is an increased prevalence of falls, with lack of balance being the main differentiator between fallers and non-fallers (Dalgas et al., 2010). With PRT increasing the lower-extremity strength of individuals with MS, there has been suggestions in high fall risk patients to participate in this type of program. Rehabilitation programs for adults with MS focusing on PRT are often designed to help form independence and optimize physical functioning. Participating in these programs, whether they were at home or under supervision, have shown increased scores in both mobility and stability (Debolt & McCubbin, 2004). Some research has even found improvements in postural control, functional reach, and gait training with 10 weeks of PRT (White et al., 2004). Maintaining balance in patients with MS is crucial in providing them with daily independence and having them participate in PRT has shown to help improve the likelihood of maintaining that