Everyday Life With ALS: A Practical Guide

If you have ALS, or care for someone who does, this practical guide will answer many of your questions about equipment, therapies and accessibility that arise over the course of the disease.

Chapter 8 - Exercise

In the early stages of ALS exercise may be helpful in reducing stress and preventing muscle atrophy. In the later stages exercise may permit you to avoid some of the discomfort that accompanies muscle weakness and tightness. Remember that exercise should always be approved by your health care team and should never create discomfort.

Why Is Exercise Important?

Exercise can provide a variety of benefits for people with ALS; for some it can have a significant impact on their quality of life.

Particularly in the earlier stages of ALS, many people have found both physiological and psychological boosts from various types of exercise. Along with helping to combat stress, providing a brief escape and being a welcome way to relax, proper exercise is important for preventing atrophy of muscles from disuse — a key to remaining mobile for as long as possible — and, as long as you’re able to exercise comfortably, for keeping your cardiovascular system strong. The key to gaining these benefits is finding the most appropriate exercise for you.

SPECIAL NOTE: It’s most important that you discuss any type of planned exercise with your health care team, particularly your doctor and your physical therapist. Exercising under their supervision will ensure that you don’t push weakened muscles to the point of doing further damage, or create a dangerous level of fatigue.

While the medical literature has firmly established the importance of exercise for people without serious medical conditions, very little research has been done on the subject of exercise and its role in ALS. In fact, it isn’t known whether exercises are beneficial for increasing muscle strength for people with ALS. (Many experts doubt that this is possible.)

However, it’s widely accepted among physicians and therapists that specific kinds of exercise help prevent the development of painful contractures (the permanent tightening of muscles) and can decrease the spasticity (intermittent or constant muscle tightness or spasms) that’s common in ALS.

Practicing the healthiest type of exercise for you at each stage of ALS will help maintain your comfort and mobility. For some people, a moderate amount of daily walking in the early stages of ALS may be all that’s advisable. As the disease advances, you’ll benefit from doing range-of-motion and stretching under supervision of a physical therapist.