A Runner’s Guide to MS: How to Keep Logging Miles Safely
There’s no running from MS—but running may be a powerful way to combat symptoms like fatigue. Here’s how to do it safely.
对于许多人来说，跑步不仅仅是脚踏实地的路面 - 这是一个像禅宗仪式和自我保健。如果跑步是常规例程的一部分，获得多发性硬化症（MS）诊断可能会让您担心丢失这项活动。但好消息是，许多人在被诊断出患有MS之后继续运行 - 它可能只是采取一些额外的安全预防措施和创造力。无论您是击中跑步机还是踪迹，我们都有您需要保持安全的提示，同时您保持最受欢迎的练习仪式。
Why Exercise Is Important With MS
你可能害怕小姐will mean an end to chasing that runner’s high—and in fact, many people with MS reduce their amount of physical activity because they are afraid their symptoms will get worse. But current research shows that regular exercise is majorly beneficial for people with MS, according to a 2017 study inBMC神经病学.
“People with MS have symptoms like fatigue or weakness, which can make it hard to exercise, and you might feel like you shouldn’t,” adds Kathy Zackowski, Ph.D., an occupational therapist in Baltimore, MD, and scientist who serves as senior director of Patient Management, Care and Rehabilitation Research for the National MS Society. “But data really show that having a regular exercise routine can help reduce fatigue as you slowly gain strength and endurance.”
Beyond improving MS-related fatigue—one of the most common symptoms—exercising comes with other advantages for people with MS, too, says Jacqueline F. Rosenthal, M.D., a neurologist at the Andrew C. Carlos Multiple Sclerosis Institute in Atlanta, GA. “It helps to maintain strength, improve balance, and lessen spasticity, which can then reduce or even prevent functional limitations due to underlying motor impairment.” Other benefits include:
It boosts your mood.“Staying active[可以帮助]“罗森希尔博士说，改善焦虑和萧条等潜在情绪状况。
它改善并保留了功能。Exercise can help boost your cardiovascular fitness, endurance, bone health, flexibility, and overall quality of life with MS, per the 2017 study. It can even help improve MS symptoms like bladder and bowel functioning issues, according to the National MS Society.
它打击其他条件。Rosenthal博士说，锻炼还有助于预防与脑血管疾病相关的医疗病症，这可能对MS的人更常见。
Tips for Running Safely
Zackowski说，虽然MS可以使MS难以尽可能顺利地运行，但仍然可能 - 只要您能够安全地完成。（摔倒并击中你的头不是你想要的结果！）无论您是否可以安全运行，真的取决于您的独特MS症状，请添加Rosenthal博士。“例如，如果您有一段脚下降，那么由于跌倒的风险，跑步很可能永远不会成为”安全“选项，”她解释道。“另一方面，患者可能只开始在运行一定距离之后体验到脚下的感觉，例如几英里，或者如果过热。可能需要时间来了解最能容忍的活动，这将从一个人到另一个人略有不同。“
Part of continuing to run safely with MS means working to stay strong in other ways, Zackowski says, whether through strength training or other forms of aerobic exercise. “I would make sure you are doing aerobic exercise that’s not just running,” she says. “If you can keep yourself strong by cross-training with something, like high-intensity interval training (HIIT), you might have fewer longer runs but maintain the pace you had before.”
安全地运行也意味着考虑热量的影响：有些人发现热量的人会加剧他们的症状，如果在跑步或做其他运动时你会过热，这可能是一个问题。因此，不要吝啬水合，也考虑其他冷却策略，也建议Zackowski。“在运动前喝冷水，前往冷水淋浴，锻炼身体吹给你，或穿着冷却衣服，”她说。事实上，国家MS社会有一个方便的冷却产品清单，以试图他们的网站（包括折扣代码），从个人雾化设备到冷却背心或颈部包裹，您可以在跑步上穿。
另一个提示是考虑一下当你锻炼的时候刺激肌肉的装置，例如aWalkAide, says Zackowski. While she notes there’s no evidence behind this yet, she says it may be worth a try in folks struggling with certain movements involved in running.
“The idea is these devices provide an extra little electrical pulse that makes your muscle fire in your calf, for example,” she says. “Some people with MS have difficulty lifting their toes when they bring their foot forward with each step, and this is often called 'foot drop.' You can raise your foot higher, but that’s energy consuming, so then you wouldn’t run as fast. I’ve recommended people use these devices, and you can use them when you are running to help keep you running.”
底线
Because your safety is on the line, it’s always a good idea to work with a professional to figure out the best ways to keep running safely with MS. That might mean seeking the advice of an exercise physiologist or trainer who has experience working with people with MS, says Zackowski, or consulting with a physical and/or occupational therapist to come up with a personalized exercise routine and adaptations that work for your unique symptoms.
因此，虽然您的运行例程可能需要一些创造性的调整和修改的期望，但MS不必意味着登录里程的结束。“为自己设定目标是非常重要的，因为你可以看到进度，”zackowski增加了。“你可能不会让你的进步[MS之前], but don’t be frustrated by the slower speed—document the results you do have so you can remind yourself, ‘I am making progress, this is working, it’s just going to take a little longer and I have to be careful.’”
- MS和锻炼研究：BMC神经病学. (2017). “Exercise prescription for patients with multiple sclerosis; potential benefits and practical recommendations.”ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc5602953/
- Benefits of Exercise for MS:国家女士社会。（2020）。“锻炼计划的好处。”nationalssociety.org/for-profestals/clinical-care/professional-education/intro-to-ms-for-fitness-profestmes/module-3
- MS REHAB信息：国家女士社会。（2020）。“Rehabilitation.”nationalmssociety.org/treating-ms/rehilitation.
