Fighting MS with Science: How Neuroplasticity Boosts Treatment

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition that disrupts communication between the brain, spinal cord, and body. For people living with MS, symptoms like fatigue, muscle weakness, balance issues, and difficulty walking can make daily life challenging.

While there’s currently no cure for MS, science is uncovering powerful ways to manage it and improve quality of life. One of the most exciting breakthroughs is the discovery of neuroplasticity—the brain’s remarkable ability to adapt, rewire, and form new connections.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into how neuroplasticity is changing the game for MS therapy, particularly through targeted MS exercises, and how you can use this science to strengthen your treatment approach.

Partnering with Your Doctor: The Foundation of MS Care

Before we explore neuroplasticity and exercise, it’s important to start with the cornerstone of MS treatment: building a strong relationship with your neurologist or primary physician.

Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are currently the first line of defence against MS. These medications help slow disease progression by reducing inflammation and preventing nerve damage. DMTs are most effective when started early and tailored to each individual’s needs.

Having an open, trusted relationship with your doctor ensures you can discuss any concerns—whether it’s new symptoms, changes in how you feel, or questions about your treatment plan. This allows your doctor to adjust your therapies or recommend additional strategies, like physiotherapy, to help you feel your best.

Remember: while there’s no cure for MS yet, combining medication with rehabilitation programs like physiotherapy provides a powerful two-pronged approach to managing symptoms and living well with MS.

Neuroplasticity: Your Brain’s Natural Repair System

Now, onto the exciting part: neuroplasticity.

Imagine your brain as a busy city, with roads connecting different neighbourhoods. In MS, some of these roads get damaged, leading to traffic jams that cause symptoms like difficulty walking, weakness, or slowed thinking. Neuroplasticity is like a brilliant city planner—it creates new routes, repairs damaged roads, and keeps traffic flowing.

Neuroplasticity is your brain’s ability to reorganise itself—forming new neural connections, adapting to challenges, and compensating for injury.

Research shows that even when MS damages certain areas of the brain or spinal cord, other regions can step up and take on new roles. A landmark 2012 study by Tomassini and colleagues found that neuroplasticity remains active across all stages of MS, from early diagnosis to more advanced cases.

This means your brain retains its potential to adapt and recover—no matter where you are in your MS journey.

However, neuroplasticity doesn’t happen passively. It needs a specific kind of encouragement—and that’s where MS exercise programs and physiotherapy come in.

How Physiotherapists Harness Neuroplasticity

Physiotherapists (or physical therapists, for our overseas friends) are experts in movement and rehabilitation. They design exercise programs that tap into neuroplasticity to improve strength, balance, and mobility for people with MS. These programs are tailored to your needs, taking into account your symptoms, fitness level, and goals. The science behind this approach is compelling, as shown in recent research.

Exercise: Rewiring the Brain Through Movement

Exercise is one of the most powerful tools for driving neuroplasticity in MS. When you move your body in specific, repetitive ways, you send signals to your brain that encourage it to form new neural pathways. This can lead to real improvements in how you move and feel. A 2020 systematic review by Sandroff and colleagues examined studies where exercise training led to changes in brain structure or function, alongside improvements in abilities like walking, balance, and cognition.

For example, one study in the review found that 12 weeks of high-intensity balance training using a video game balance board improved balance in people with MS. Brain scans showed increased integrity in white matter tracts (the “roads” connecting brain regions), and these changes were linked to better balance performance. Another study showed that treadmill walking for 12 weeks boosted connections between the thalamus and prefrontal cortex, improving cognitive processing speed and cardiorespiratory fitness. These findings highlight how exercises like balance training, walking, or resistance training can rewire the brain to enhance physical and mental function.

Physiotherapists use a variety of exercises to target specific MS symptoms:

• Strengthening Exercises: Resistance training, like lifting weights or using resistance bands, builds muscle strength and supports mobility. Studies have shown that progressive resistance training can improve grip strength and enhance brain connectivity in areas like the caudate nucleus, which is linked to movement and fatigue.

• Balance Training: Activities like standing on one leg or using balance boards improve stability and reduce the risk of falls. These exercises stimulate the brain to strengthen neural networks involved in balance control.

• Aerobic Exercise: Walking, cycling, or running boosts cardiovascular fitness and encourages brain regions like the hippocampus (important for memory) to grow or form stronger connections.

Beyond Exercise: Sensory Re-Integration

Physiotherapists don’t just focus on exercise—they also use sensory re-integration techniques to stimulate neuroplasticity.

MS can disrupt how your brain processes sensory information, like touch, balance, and body position. This can affect coordination and stability.

Sensory re-integration training involves activities that challenge your brain to reprocess these signals more accurately, such as practising movements with your eyes closed or navigating uneven surfaces. Over time, this enhances balance, proprioception, and movement control.

Why Neuroplasticity Matters for MS

The power of neuroplasticity lies in the hope it provides.

While there’s no cure for MS at present, research shows that your brain retains an incredible capacity to adapt. Exercise-based MS therapy doesn’t just improve mobility—it also boosts mood, sharpens cognition, and reduces fatigue.

Sandroff’s review acknowledges that many studies in this area are small, but the overall evidence is clear: exercise plays a crucial role in managing MS symptoms, improving brain health, and enhancing daily function.

With the right support, you can tap into your brain’s resilience and create your own plan to strengthen your body and mind.

Leverage Neuroplasticity with the MS PhysiKit

Ready to harness the power of neuroplasticity in your MS journey?

The MS PhysiKit is your go-to resource for evidence-based strategies to boost strength, balance, and mobility. Designed around the latest neuroscience, our Toolkit modules leverage neuroplasticity through strengthening, balance training, and sensory re-integration activities.

Whether you want to walk more confidently, reduce fatigue, or enhance your overall wellbeing, MS PhysiKit offers the practical tools and expert guidance to help you thrive.

🔗 Visit the MS PhysiKit landing page to learn more and start your journey today. With the right exercises and support, you can unlock your brain’s incredible ability to adapt and take control of your MS—one step at a time.

_References:

_{Sandroff, B. M., Jones, C. D., Baird, J. F., & Motl, R. W. (2020). Systematic review on exercise training as a neuroplasticity-inducing behavior in multiple sclerosis. Neurorehabilitation and neural repair, 34(7), 575-588.}

_{Tomassini, V., Matthews, P. M., Thompson, A. J., Fuglø, D., Geurts, J. J., Johansen-Berg, H., ... & Palace, J. (2012). Neuroplasticity and functional recovery in multiple sclerosis. Nature Reviews Neurology, 8(11), 635-646.}