Introduction

This information is for people who have multiple sclerosis. It tells you about physiotherapy, a treatment used to help muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis. It is based on the best and most up-to-date research.

Does it work?

We're not sure. If you have stiffness or spasms in your muscles from multiple sclerosis (MS), physiotherapy may help you move a bit more easily.^[2]

What is it?

If you have physiotherapy, a specialist will use exercises to make you stronger and other techniques to help your muscles and joints work better. You'll probably have a session once or twice a week, for several weeks.

If you have stiff muscles or spasms, guidelines on treatment for MS say that you should see a specialist physiotherapist, to find out whether you might benefit from therapy.^[2]

How can it help?

If you have physiotherapy, you might be able to move more easily and you might feel better. But after you stop the treatment, these benefits will probably wear off within a few weeks.^[113]

A fairly small study found that adding physiotherapy to treatment with botulinum toxin (Botox) worked better than botulinum toxin on its own.^[114]

How does it work?

The exercises and other techniques of physiotherapy might make it easier for you to move your arms and legs, to get about, and to do the things you want. This might also make you feel better and less upset about what you can't do.

Can it be harmful?

If your physiotherapy is done by someone who's properly trained and understands the needs of people with MS, you shouldn't have any problems.

How good is the research on physiotherapy?

If you have multiple sclerosis (MS) and have trouble moving, there isn't much evidence that physiotherapy will help you get about more easily. So it's hard to say how helpful it might be for you.

We found two good-quality studies (called randomised controlled trials). But the trials don't agree. One found that physiotherapy helped with balance and moving around.^[113] The other didn't find that it helped people move around. But people who had the therapy were less upset by their movement problems.^[115]

Both studies were small. There were 40 people in the first study and 45 in the second study. We need to see bigger studies to give us more reliable results.

Another small study, which looked at 38 people, found that adding physiotherapy to treatment with botulinum toxin (Botox) worked better than botulinum toxin on its own.^[114]

Glossary

randomised controlled trials

Randomised controlled trials are medical studies designed to test whether a treatment works. Patients are split into groups. One group is given the treatment being tested (for example, an antidepressant drug) while another group (called the comparison or control group) is given an alternative treatment. This could be a different type of drug or a dummy treatment (a placebo). Researchers then compare the effects of the different treatments.

For more terms related to Multiple sclerosis

Citations