Rehabilitation

Using exercise and physical therapy for recovery from the effects of MS, and for maintaining physical function.
brent
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Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

Hey guys!

I see a lot of topics related to exercise and I was wondering if anyone considered taking part in a rehabilitation program? As far as I can see there are some MS specific rehabilitation programs floating around the web and I was wondering what are your opinions about them? Personally I feel like a month long rehabilitation program (think of it as a vacation trip to take care of your body and your MS related problems) can give us much more in terms of general health and functioning improvement than daily half-baked exercise without the supervision of someone who can actually give us some tips and make a difference (i.e. a physical therapist).
I’m still unsure about this but I think it’s something that’s worth exploring. What do you think?
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DougL
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by DougL »

brent wrote:Hey guys!

I see a lot of topics related to exercise and I was wondering if anyone considered taking part in a rehabilitation program? As far as I can see there are some MS specific rehabilitation programs floating around the web and I was wondering what are your opinions about them? Personally I feel like a month long rehabilitation program (think of it as a vacation trip to take care of your body and your MS related problems) can give us much more in terms of general health and functioning improvement than daily half-baked exercise without the supervision of someone who can actually give us some tips and make a difference (i.e. a physical therapist).
I’m still unsure about this but I think it’s something that’s worth exploring. What do you think?
i think its a great idea. my wife has been waiting many months for her spot in a rehab clinic.they said July but stupid me forgot to ask which year
brent
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

DougL wrote: i think its a great idea. my wife has been waiting many months for her spot in a rehab clinic.they said July but stupid me forgot to ask which year
Wow that sure is a long time to wait. What type of clinic is it? Is it a public rehabilitation center or a private one?
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DougL
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by DougL »

brent wrote:
DougL wrote: i think its a great idea. my wife has been waiting many months for her spot in a rehab clinic.they said July but stupid me forgot to ask which year
Wow that sure is a long time to wait. What type of clinic is it? Is it a public rehabilitation center or a private one?
it is a clinic attached to the MS clinic in Toronto. the wait is determined by the number of people who 'drop out'. they only have a certain number of spaces and new spaces open up when people quit the program.

i guess the fact that people aren't quitting is a good sign - the clinic must be doing something for them.
brent
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

DougL wrote: it is a clinic attached to the MS clinic in Toronto. the wait is determined by the number of people who 'drop out'. they only have a certain number of spaces and new spaces open up when people quit the program.

i guess the fact that people aren't quitting is a good sign - the clinic must be doing something for them.
Seems like you're fortunate anyway, as in you already have a clinic like that close to you runing its own rehab program.
So far the only reasonable offers for MS rehabilitation that I found were located abroad.
As you said hopefully the fact that people aren't quitting is a promising sign in terms of rehabilitation relevance for MS.
brent
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

Hey guys,

I'm still trying to find information about rehabilitation programs for MS. So far I've pretty much decided that I want to go abroad for rehab but I'm still trying to find the right program. If you guys have any suggestions or recomendations they would be much appreciated!
Thx in advance!
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Shayk
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by Shayk »

Brent

Sorry you haven't had more responses. I am not aware of a specific MS rehab program in my area, but there is a Neurofit program that coordinates, if appropriate, with an iWalk Recovery Center. The link profiles the types of equipment they use.

I don't know anyone with MS who has utilized either program, but I use their fitness center and am quite pleased. Because the fitness center is "within" a general outpatient rehab center, all the staff are quite knowledgeable.

Hope you find something that works for you. All the best.

Sharon
brent
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

Shayk wrote:Brent

Sorry you haven't had more responses. I am not aware of a specific MS rehab program in my area, but there is a Neurofit program that coordinates, if appropriate, with an iWalk Recovery Center. The link profiles the types of equipment they use.

I don't know anyone with MS who has utilized either program, but I use their fitness center and am quite pleased. Because the fitness center is "within" a general outpatient rehab center, all the staff are quite knowledgeable.

Hope you find something that works for you. All the best.

Sharon
Thank you for your contribution Sharon! It's not exactly what I'm looking for but it's a good reference point!
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NHE
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by NHE »

Here's a post on foot drop exercises.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/exercise- ... ml#p167641
brent
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

NHE wrote:Here's a post on foot drop exercises.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/exercise- ... ml#p167641
For some reason the link won't work for me :[
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euphoniaa
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by euphoniaa »

brent wrote:
NHE wrote:Here's a post on foot drop exercises.

http://www.thisisms.com/forum/exercise- ... ml#p167641
For some reason the link won't work for me :[
That's strange, because it's just a ThisIsMS link to a post I made a while back. Try again. It may be the way your computer is set up. It's interesting that lots of people think also that TiMS blocks outside links since they can't get those to pull up sometimes, but I'm able to open any link that is posted. Well, that is, any link that I dare to go to. :smile:

BTW, I've been to physical therapy at our local rehab center pretty much every year since my diagnosis, and have plenty to say about it, but haven't had time to post since I work full time. I can't quite figure out what you're talking about with a month-long MS rehab. Never heard of that. The only way I get PT is with a doctor's referral for a specific problem -- saying you have MS won't do it.

For insurance purposes it has to be 1 or 2 specific problems (like foot drop, balance), that can be addressed by therapy, and to continue, it has to show measurable progress & improvements. The fact that I have MS is considered by all my therapists, but it's not the referring diagnosis.

I get 3 times/week, 1 hour at a time, for one month. If I show improvement (and I always do, since I never miss and also work out at home), they add 2 more weeks. That's as much per year as my insurance will cover, and it costs thousands of $. I'm still making payments on my share of the PT sessions from 2 years ago. This year's didn't cost me, because I had surgery first (non-MS, of course), and used all my deductibles with that.

Another thing is that I have plenty of PT issues besides MS, and my body changes month to month & year to year. I've been exercising at home for 25 years, and PT is great, but it has only helped me evaluate myself and given me some more specific exercises & movements to do at home for whatever my latest issue is. In fact, I usually would do my own exercises at home before I went to PT later in the day.

An interesting note is that the first trip to PT was immediately after my MS and HNPP diagnoses 10 years ago when, coincidentally, my right knee (my non-MS leg) swelled up like a cantaloupe (not MS -- I chipped my knee in high school), so at PT/OT they taped my kneecap into place 3 times a week, gave me a couple of exercises for that and an exercise ball for my finger tremor (plus wrist braces for carpal tunnel from HNPP).

Both of those things improved my life considerably, finger works now, knee still works, so I encourage people to try PT, but they only work because I've been using the ball and exercising my legs for the 10 years since then. Therapy & rehab only work if you incorporate the lessons into the rest of your life, so I've bought (cheaply) most of the things they used and more: step platform that converts for balance, hand exercise ball, therabands, small dumbbells, kettlebells, mat, ankle weights.

And my PT every year has been for completely different issues. Hoping that everyone finds a therapeutic approach that works for them -- without being drowned with debt. :smile:

Edited to add that my point is... PT/OT are great for MS patients. But...each of us has such a unique MS presentation, and it's ever-changing, day to day, month to month, & year to year. I'm wondering how a month-long, one-time "MS Rehabilitation" would help us?
Dx'd with MS & HNPP (hereditary peripheral neuropathy) 7/03 but must have had MS for 30 yrs before that. I've never taken meds for MS except 1 yr experiment on LDN. (I found diet, exercise, sleep, humor, music help me the most.)
brent
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

euphoniaa wrote:
BTW, I've been to physical therapy at our local rehab center pretty much every year since my diagnosis, and have plenty to say about it, but haven't had time to post since I work full time. I can't quite figure out what you're talking about with a month-long MS rehab. Never heard of that. The only way I get PT is with a doctor's referral for a specific problem -- saying you have MS won't do it.

For insurance purposes it has to be 1 or 2 specific problems (like foot drop, balance), that can be addressed by therapy, and to continue, it has to show measurable progress & improvements. The fact that I have MS is considered by all my therapists, but it's not the referring diagnosis.

I get 3 times/week, 1 hour at a time, for one month. If I show improvement (and I always do, since I never miss and also work out at home), they add 2 more weeks. That's as much per year as my insurance will cover, and it costs thousands of $. I'm still making payments on my share of the PT sessions from 2 years ago. This year's didn't cost me, because I had surgery first (non-MS, of course), and used all my deductibles with that.

Another thing is that I have plenty of PT issues besides MS, and my body changes month to month & year to year. I've been exercising at home for 25 years, and PT is great, but it has only helped me evaluate myself and given me some more specific exercises & movements to do at home for whatever my latest issue is. In fact, I usually would do my own exercises at home before I went to PT later in the day.

An interesting note is that the first trip to PT was immediately after my MS and HNPP diagnoses 10 years ago when, coincidentally, my right knee (my non-MS leg) swelled up like a cantaloupe (not MS -- I chipped my knee in high school), so at PT/OT they taped my kneecap into place 3 times a week, gave me a couple of exercises for that and an exercise ball for my finger tremor (plus wrist braces for carpal tunnel from HNPP).

Both of those things improved my life considerably, finger works now, knee still works, so I encourage people to try PT, but they only work because I've been using the ball and exercising my legs for the 10 years since then. Therapy & rehab only work if you incorporate the lessons into the rest of your life, so I've bought (cheaply) most of the things they used and more: step platform that converts for balance, hand exercise ball, therabands, small dumbbells, kettlebells, mat, ankle weights.

And my PT every year has been for completely different issues. Hoping that everyone finds a therapeutic approach that works for them -- without being drowned with debt. :smile:

Edited to add that my point is... PT/OT are great for MS patients. But...each of us has such a unique MS presentation, and it's ever-changing, day to day, month to month, & year to year. I'm wondering how a month-long, one-time "MS Rehabilitation" would help us?
The reason I was talking about a month long rehabilitation program is because a rehab facility is not available where I live and that's why I am considering taking a sort of a "holiday" for a longer period of time to get the help I need.

As you said rehab is not just about rehab itself but also applying what you learn to your daily life. I feel like a longer trip to a rehabilitation center will benefit me much more in terms of a learning/adapting experiance than 3 or 4 visits per month in the closest rehab center (not to mention that I wouldnt have to make the long trips back and forth).

Besides there is also the issue of waiting and being accepted for a spot and the fact that I would still have to pay a horendous sum of money for it. On the other hand I can go to a private rehab facility, with no wait times and probably spend less money overall.

What I want is to go to rehab in order to learn how to manage my condition from specialists and then apply what I learned and try do it on my own at home. Similarly to what you said about how you manage as in buying the right equipment etc.
brent
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

Rehabilitation programs often help in leading a healthy life. These programs may include different sessions starting from treatments, therapies, exercises, counseling etc. The sessions may differ from center to center and depends on every individual. Recently I consulted a rehabilitation clinic in Markham so as to get treatment for my body pain and stressed mind and they suggested physiotherapy and acupuncture along with some physical exercises. It was great experience attending a rehabilitation program.
Sounds interesting. But i'm not quite sure this is what i'm looking for. Does this center offer rehabilitation programs or just individual rehabilitation procedures? I cant seem to find the information on the website. Thanks for your contribution nontheless.
brent
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

I'm starting to feel a bit down... I never thought it would be this hard to find a rehabilitation program dedicated for MS...
brent
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Re: Rehabilitation

Post by brent »

Consider doing some stress reliving exercises, All the best, get well soon
Thanks it's good to see some care and support.
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