Home Health Care-Approved Tips For Staying Mobile After a Diagnosis
Patients with multiple sclerosis are at a crossroads: you’re faced with a disabling central nervous system condition that causes permanent damage and potentially the loss of mobility, but you want to make the most of life.
Getting exercise may not look quite the same way as it did before your MS diagnosis, and that’s OK! As you learn to manage living with MS, perhaps under the care of a home health agency as you adjust, you’ll discover new at-home exercises that help keep you mobile and improve your mental health.
Read more about the exercises your home health care provider may instruct you to do, either independently or with the help of a visiting physical therapist.
Reframe How You Think About Working Out
If you’ve been diagnosed with MS, talk to your doctor about safe ways you can incorporate exercise in your daily life. It likely won’t look quite the same as the recommendations for individuals without this diagnosis.
Exercise doesn’t have to be rigorous. In general, physical activity in the comfort of your own home, doing daily activities, can often be enough to stretch tight muscles and improve flexibility. Exercise may also help improve bone density, bladder and bowel function, cognitive function, mood, and more.
Think of daily movements as part of your fitness routine. Are you able to pull weeds in your garden? Does reaching downward into your clothes dryer provide a stretching sensation in your shoulders? Maintaining your ability to move and proving to yourself that you can every day can help improve your outlook on life despite your diagnosis.
If you’re able to do more types of exercises, ask the physical therapist you see through your home health care services for their advice.
Easy Workouts at Home
People with multiple sclerosis can participate in gentle exercises at home using basic equipment, like lightweight dumbbells or kettlebells, elastic bands, and a yoga mat.
For cardio:
- Go on a short walk with a friend, family member, or a home health care aide.
- Try cardio from a seated position, such as on a recumbent exercise bike or rowing machine. Aim to exercise for at least 20 minutes on these machines.
For stretching and mobility:
- Gentle yoga, including from a chair, can help keep your muscles as loose as possible.
- Gentle pilates – without the machine – is also a reasonable choice for patients with MS.
For strength training:
- Basic weightlifting with lightweight dumbbells, or performing the lifts without weights at all.
- Use elastic bands for resistance, rather than weights, especially if your tremors or grip strength could lead to dropping dumbbells and causing injury.
MS Exercise Tips
Try these tips to keep exercising as safe as possible after an MS diagnosis. Your home health care nurse can help coordinate physical therapy visits if your physician requests them.
During these visits, a professional physical therapist will monitor your progress and environment to ensure your safety as you exercise and show you how to incorporate your mobility aids into exercises, if needed.
- Exercise in a cool room. Increases in body temperature can temporarily worsen your symptoms.
- Go slowly; don’t overexert yourself. Take plenty of rest breaks.
- Incorporate stretching into your routine after every workout.
- Drink cold water to help keep your body temperature low as you exercise.
What If You Don’t Qualify For Home Health Care?
If you’re an MS patient whose physician has not prescribed home health care, or if you don’t qualify for a visiting nurse and physical therapist at this time, you can still pursue fitness under the guidance of your doctor.
Be sure to ask your physician about any exercise modifications you should be incorporating and get checked out before beginning any exercise regimen.
If you meet these qualifications, you could receive home health care. Let the physician monitoring your MS know that you feel home health could be beneficial for you, particularly as you learn how to move and live with new or worsening symptoms.
- You are homebound, meaning you cannot leave where you live without the help of mobility aids, another person, or a specialized transportation service. You may also be homebound if your doctor has told you that you should stay at home.
- You have a new diagnosis, your condition is worsening, or you recently completed a hospitalization or surgery and require intermittent help from a licensed nurse, physical therapist, or both.
Next Steps
If your physician agrees that home health care services could help you, you can ask for a specific provider of home health care near you. You are not limited to the agency your doctor or the hospital suggests.
By taking control of your healthcare plans now and incorporating exercises into your daily routine, you could lead a fulfilling life despite your MS diagnosis.
