Multiple sclerosis - living with a nervous system in transition

Numbness, visual disturbances, unsteady gait. Then days without symptoms - and suddenly a new attack. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that irritates, frightens and changes. It is not always visible - but it can be felt profoundly. For many sufferers, the diagnosis marks the beginning of a journey into the unknown: with questions, fears and hopes.

But MS is no reason to helplessly abandon yourself to its progression. Rather, it needs understanding, exercise - and a therapy that focuses not only on the body, but on the whole person.

What is multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. The immune system attacks the body's own structures - in particular the myelin sheaths that cover the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord. This leads to inflammation, scarring (sclerosis) and subsequently to disturbances in the transmission of impulses.

The course of the disease varies greatly from person to person:

• Relapsing-remitting (most common form)

• Secondary progressive

• Primary progressive

Typical symptoms:

• Visual disturbances, dizziness, balance disorders

• Sensory disturbances, numbness, tingling

• Spasticity, muscle weakness, coordination problems

• Bladder and bowel dysfunction

• Fatigue and cognitive impairment

MS runs in phases - but it is not a one-way street.

Why MS is not just a neurological disease

MS doesn't just affect the nerve tracts - it affects life. It changes body awareness, self-image, freedom of movement and everyday structures.

What makes MS so challenging:

• Unpredictability of relapses and symptoms

• Uncertainty in dealing with movement and stress

• Exhaustion despite rest - so-called fatigue

• Fear of loss of control and dependency

This is precisely why a therapeutic approach is needed that strengthens security, freedom of action and trust in one's own body.

Physiotherapy - when movement becomes stabilization

Physiotherapy for MS is not about "repair", but about stabilization, regulation and self-empowerment. The aim is to maintain - or restore - individual mobility, coordination and endurance.

Therapeutic focus:

• Mobilization & strengthening, adapted to the degree of severity

• Gait and balance training

• Coordination exercises & sensorimotor training

• Breathing & relaxation techniques for vegetative regulation

• Medical yoga & neurotraining to promote body awareness and self-efficacy

Goal: Maintaining, compensating and specifically promoting skills - with awareness of limits and potential.

Occupational therapy - shaping everyday life despite MS

Multiple sclerosis also affects the small, often overlooked everyday tasks: Brushing teeth, writing, cooking, working. Occupational therapy helps people with MS to overcome these everyday challenges in a realistic, creative and solution-oriented way.

Occupational therapy approaches:

• Pacing and energy management - especially for fatigue

• Aids advice & environmental adaptation - for more independence

• Fine motor training for people with limited hand or arm function

• Cognitive training to support attention, memory and planning

• Self-awareness, goal work & psychosocial stabilization

Goal: to strengthen the ability to act, promote self-confidence - despite changing symptoms.

Focusing on people - not just the process

At Hockenholz, we do not support people with MS in a symptom-centered way, but in a person-centered way. Our biopsychosocial understanding means:

• Relationship before technology - because trust heals with

• Bodywork as a resource - not as a correction

• Joint goal development - instead of therapy by the book

We see people with MS as active beings - with courage, uncertainty, inner strength and the ability to change.

Conclusion: Multiple sclerosis - staying flexible in mind and body

MS is unpredictable - but it can be managed. With therapy that works at eye level instead of from above. With movement that strengthens rather than overwhelms. And with an understanding that not only looks at the neurological findings, but also at the life behind them.

Are you a therapist and want to learn how to provide effective, empathetic and evidence-based support for people with MS?
👉 Then find out about our further training courses in neurology, pain regulation and movement-oriented therapy:
👉 www.hockenholz.com/weiterbildungen

Are you affected yourself?
We support you - professionally, individually and with heart.
In our practice in Berlin or via online counseling.