Plastic Brains

When my father started having mini-strokes (TIA's), I moved back to our hometown.  Later, when he had his major stroke, I went to the rehab hospital with him.  Because I was to be a main caregiver, I accompanied him to all his rehab sessions.  That way, I could learn the exercises and be able to continue them for him when we got back home.

In fact, it is because of watching the effectiveness of the exercises there that I believe in the techniques I see in this video:

While Dad rested in the afternoons, I went to several of the hospital's stroke education classes.  It was there that I learned about what the brain can do because of the exercises.  The brain has the ability to make new neural pathways around the stroke-damaged areas.  Thus, if a stroke patient currently cannot move a body part, speak, swallow, or chew, that doesn't mean that's the way it will always be.  As the speaker explained it, the brain and nervous system have the amazing ability to build "work-arounds" (neuroplasticity).

Indeed, as I looked around at the progress of other patients as well as Dad's, I did see improvement.  One man was wheelchair-bound, then went to a walker, then to a cane, and finally could walk without any aids.  A local man who'd had a stroke and needed a walker then a cane eventually got to where he could walk, run, lift weights, and play racquetball.

In my own life, I've seen how the continued exercise, yoga, and Tai Chi help. I'd grown up doing yoga and bicycling with some dancing of all sorts and many other physical, fun activities.  When I had my first major MS attack and ended up using a cane and wheelchair, I kept doing my yoga stretches as well as kept practicing walking without aids.  Eventually, I got to where I could again hike, unaided, for miles.  I happened upon Tai Chi about then and got to where I could do aerobics and dancing again, too.  

After last year's relapse, I've needed to build up my walking distances again. I think I'm close to being able to do my Yoga Dance videos once more.  I'm going to keep trying. 

I believe that everyone should strive to exercise somehow -- both body and brain.  With MS, I think it is extremely important to keep moving as much as possible -- striving to do a little more each day.  Our brains and nervous systems are remarkable mechanisms that can relearn how to do things and compensate for areas of damage.  I've seen it happen.  I'm going to keep working at it, after every single relapse.  I'm going to keep moving and keep using this noggin of mine.  As much as I can do, that's what's going to happen!

******************

Links on neuroplasticity:
National Stroke Foundation
How The Brain Does It
Neuroplasticity and MS

I just found this MS Society UK forum post that echoes my thoughts.

Disclaimer:  Most every book I've read about exercise says to consult your doctor before attempting something new.  So, probably not a bad idea.

Tips I've learned that work for me:

• If I have fun doing it, I have a better chance of sticking with it.  If I enjoy it, I forget that I'm exercising.
• Here's an article about how video games can help.
• Heat Intolerance:  
• My body hates heat, and it lets me know it quickly when I get hot.  So, I exercise in a cool room or in the cool of the day.
• If my body heats up, it's going to be an unpleasant experience, which I don't want to associate with movement/exercise.  So, when I start feeling symptoms, I slow down, rest, and drink some cool water.  If I don't feel I've gotten in my exercise for the day, I start up again when my symptoms tame down.
• Cooling neck bands/kerchiefs help.  I've heard cooling vests help keep your core cool.  Letting cold water run over your wrists helps a bit, so cool wet towels where there are major blood vessels close to the skin would probably help.
• I used to be scared that exercising until symptoms occurred would cause a relapse.  So far, that hasn't happened.  Once I've gotten rest, my body goes back to where it was when I started that exercise session.
• "Exercising in the morning, when body temperature is lowest, helps to prevent heat-induced fatigue." -- p. 49, "Living with Multiple Sclerosis, A Wellness Approach" [Second Edition] by George H. Kraft, M.D. and Marci Catanzaro, R.N., Ph.D.
• Stretching/Yoga:  
• Go slow; be gentle; breathe.  
• When stretching, don't bounce.  
• If there's stiffness when you stretch, breathe deeply a few times then slowly, gently stretch on the exhale. 
• Concentrate on relaxing the muscles you are stretching rather than tense up.  This is something I have to mentally remind myself of every time.  Relax.
• I might be able to move or stretch more tomorrow or the next day or by the end of the week.  I keep trying to stretch a teeny bit more each time.  Slow wins the race here.  Bouncing or pushing toward pain can cause injury.
• I find that stretching/yoga helps with spasticity.  When I'm feeling stiff before bed, I know I'm probably going to experience painful leg spasms that will keep me awake.  Doing my stretches before bed helps keep those away for me; in turn, I sleep well.  Sleep heals the brain, so there you go!
• One thing I've noticed about yoga is that, after doing it for so long, I've become very familiar with my body -- what muscles move what area and what stretches help where there is stiffness.  And, I have a theory that this must help a lot in the physical rehabilitation process.  I think my brain is already familiar with many movements and is, thus, able to quickly create a fresh pathway to a destination I had once reached on a now-potholed, older path. (grin)  Each person with MS I know who does yoga stretching says it helps.  I don't know for sure why it helps, but it seems to for a lot of people.

Parkinson's Disease and Exercise:
An interesting story on bicycling and Parkinson's.
Tai Chi and Parkinson's.
Dance and Parkinson's.