Exercise Studio

Neurological Conditions

Our special exercise studio is able to assist with the following conditions:

1. Multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults, with around 85,000 sufferers in the UK.

MS is the result of damage to myelin – a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system. When myelin is damaged, this interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body.

For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. For everyone, it makes life unpredictable.

2. Motor Neuron Disease

With motor neuron disease (MND), motor nerves become damaged and eventually stop working. When this happens, the muscles that the damaged nerves supply start to lose their strength.

In each kind of the various types of MND, symptoms appear to start differently. But as MND progresses, these symptoms tend to overlap meaning that in the later stages, every type becomes similar.

The cause of MND isn’t known but thought that specific structures that only show in motor nerves have been damaged, although the cause of this is not clear.

3. Stroke

There are two main types of stroke – ischaemic and haemorrhagic. The most common, Ischaemic, occurs in seven out of ten cases and refers to reduced blood and oxygen supply to a specific part of the brain. Haemorrhagic strokes happen when a damaged or weakened artery ‘bursts’ and bleeds.

Four arteries supply blood to the brain and the area of brain affected and extent of damage depends on which blood vessels have been damaged.

When a stroke occurs, the blood supply to an area of the brain is suddenly cut off. As brain cells need a constant supply of oxygen from the blood, once the blood supply ceases, the cells in the affected part of the brain get damaged or die.

The severity of the stroke depends upon the parts of the brain affected. For instance, if you lose the blood supply from a main carotid artery, this will affect a large area of the brain, causing severe symptoms. If, in contrast, a smaller branch artery is affected, then the damage may cause relatively minor symptoms.

4. Head Injury

A brain injury is caused, at least initially, by outside force, but includes the complications which can follow, such as damage caused by lack of oxygen, and rising pressure and swelling in the brain.

The most visible signs of brain injury include coma, loss of power in the arms and legs, and speech impairment. A traumatic brain injury may also cause changes to personality, thinking and memory. For example, damage to the frontal lobes, the brain behind the forehead results in behavioural problems, such as loss of self-restraint and insight.

5. Nerve Injury

When any nerves in the body that aren’t in the brain or spinal cord get damaged, this is termed a peripheral nerve injury. When a peripheral nerve gets damaged, the muscles that the nerve supplies do not receive messages from the brain and become weak and sometimes paralysed. However, unlike the spinal cord, peripheral nerves have the ability
to heal.

There is increasing evidence that even though some neurological disorders may be considered degenerative, physiotherapy in the form of training and exercise can substantially improve and/or maintain function and enhance quality of life, as well as assisting patients to maintain their independence and contribute to overall health and fitness.

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