Finding Ease: Stretching and Flexibility Exercises to Reduce MS Spasticity
If you’re living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), you’re likely familiar with spasticity. That feeling of tightness, stiffness, or pulling in your muscles. Those involuntary spasms that can range from a slight nuisance to painful cramps. Spasticity is one of the most common MS symptoms, but it doesn’t have to control your days.
While medication can play a crucial role, there is a powerful, evidence-based tool that you can use every day to find relief: stretching. A consistent flexibility routine can be your first line of defense, helping to manage discomfort, maintain your range of motion, and reclaim a sense of ease in your body.
This guide is designed to empower you with practical, safe, and effective stretching and flexibility exercises to reduce MS spasticity. Remember, the goal is not to become a gymnast. It’s to gently encourage your muscles to relax, to feel better, and to move more freely.
A Crucial First Step: Safety and Preparation
Before we begin, please remember: Always consult with your doctor or a physical therapist before starting any new exercise routine. They can provide guidance tailored to your specific needs and spasticity patterns.
Your Stretching Safety Checklist:
- Listen to Your Body: This is the most important rule. Stretching should never cause pain. You should feel a gentle pull or mild discomfort, not a sharp or shooting pain.
- Be Consistent: A short, daily routine is far more effective than a long, intense session once a week.
- Warm Up First: Never stretch cold muscles. A brief 5-minute warm-up like marching in place, gentle arm circles, or using a stationary bike increases blood flow and makes stretching safer and more effective.
- Breathe: Never hold your breath. Breathe deeply and slowly into each stretch. Exhale as you gently ease into the stretch; this helps calm the nervous system and reduce muscle resistance.
- Hold and Don’t Bounce: Hold each stretch steady for 30-60 seconds. Avoid bouncing or jerking movements, which can trigger spasms.
Why Stretching Helps with MS Spasticity
To understand why stretching works, it helps to know a little about what causes spasticity. In MS, damaged nerves in the brain and spinal cord can send too many signals to the muscles, telling them to contract. This leads to hypertonia, or increased muscle tone, which we experience as stiffness.
Regular, gentle stretching helps in several key ways:
- Lengthens Muscles: It physically elongates the muscle fibers and tendons that have become shortened and tight from constant tension.
- Maintains Range of Motion: By moving your joints through their full motion, you help prevent contractures—a permanent shortening of the muscle.
- Sends Calming Signals: The slow, sustained pressure of a stretch can send neurological feedback to the spinal cord, helping to calm the overactive signals and reduce the hypertonia.
- Reduces Pain: Easing muscle tightness directly alleviates the discomfort and pain associated with spasticity.
Research, including a review published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders, supports the use of physical therapy and stretching regimens as an effective way to manage spasticity and improve quality of life.
Gentle Stretching Exercises for Key Areas
The following exercises target muscle groups commonly affected by spasticity in MS, such as the calves, hamstrings, hip flexors, and chest. Perform them on a comfortable mat or carpet.
1. Calf Stretch (for Tight Heel Cords)
Tight calf muscles can contribute to foot drop and make walking difficult.
- How to do it: Sit upright on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Loop a towel or resistance band around the ball of one foot. Gently pull the towel toward you, keeping your knee straight, until you feel a stretch in your calf. Hold.
- Alternative (Standing): Stand facing a wall with your hands on it for support. Place one foot back, keeping the heel flat on the floor and the leg straight. Gently bend your front knee until you feel the stretch in the calf of the back leg.
2. Seated Hamstring Stretch (Back of Thigh)
Tight hamstrings can pull on the pelvis and contribute to low back pain.
- How to do it: Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair. Extend one leg straight out in front of you with your heel on the floor. Keep your other foot flat and knee bent at a 90-degree angle. Sitting tall, gently hinge forward at your hips until you feel a mild stretch in the back of your extended thigh. Do not round your back.
3. Knee-to-Chest Stretch (for Lower Back and Hips)
This stretch helps release the glutes and lower back muscles.
- How to do it: Lie on your back on the floor or your bed with both knees bent and feet flat. Slowly bring one knee up toward your chest. Gently grasp your thigh, shin, or behind your knee and pull it closer to your chest. Keep your head and shoulders relaxed on the surface. You should feel a pleasant stretch in your lower back and buttock.
4. Hip Flexor Stretch (Front of Hip)
Sitting for long periods can shorten the hip flexors, pulling the pelvis forward.
- How to do it: Kneel on one knee on a soft surface (use a pillow for comfort). Place your other foot in front of you so your knee is bent at a 90-degree angle. Keeping your back straight, gently push your hips forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip of the kneeling leg. Hold onto a chair for balance.
5. Doorway Chest Stretch (for Rounded Shoulders)
Spasticity in the chest muscles can pull the shoulders forward.
- How to do it: Stand in a doorway. Place your forearms on the door frame with your elbows slightly below your shoulders, forming a 90-degree angle. Step one foot forward and gently lean into the doorway until you feel a stretch across your chest. Keep your chin tucked and neck relaxed.
Incorporating Mindful Movement: Yoga and Tai Chi
Beyond isolated stretches, disciplines like yoga and Tai Chi can be wonderfully beneficial. They combine stretching with breath control, mindfulness, and gentle strengthening.
- Yoga: Adaptive or chair yoga focuses on holding poses (asanas) that promote flexibility. The emphasis on deep, diaphragmatic breathing is particularly effective for calming the nervous system and reducing muscle tension. Poses like “Cat-Cow” can be excellent for spinal mobility.
- Tai Chi: This “meditation in motion” involves slow, flowing movements that gently take joints through their range of motion. A study in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation found that Tai Chi practice was associated with reduced spasticity in people with MS.
Look for instructors who are experienced in adaptive practices or working with neurological conditions.
Making It a Sustainable Practice
- Timing is Everything: Many people find spasticity is worse in the morning or at night. Stretching first thing can help “loosen up” for the day, while stretching before bed can ease nighttime spasms.
- Consistency Over Intensity: Five to ten minutes of gentle stretching every day is the goal. Set a reminder or pair it with a daily activity like watching the news or after your morning coffee.
- Hydrate: Drinking plenty of water helps keep muscle tissue healthy and may reduce cramping.
Summary: Your Path to Greater Comfort
Spasticity can be a challenging aspect of MS, but it is often manageable. A dedicated routine of stretching and flexibility exercises to reduce MS spasticity is a powerful, empowering, and accessible strategy. By gently lengthening tight muscles, maintaining joint health, and calming the nervous system, you can significantly reduce stiffness, alleviate pain, and improve your overall comfort and mobility.
Be patient and kind to yourself. Some days will be better than others. The simple act of showing up for your body with gentle movement is a victory in itself.
Interested in exploring a wider range of exercises tailored for life with MS? Discover routines for strength, balance, and energy in our comprehensive guide: 8 Exercises for Managing Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Symptoms.
