Rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis

Abstract

The introduction of disease modifying drugs in the treatment of MS patients has not completely eliminated the progressive accumulation of physical and cognitive disabilities in these patients. Therefore, the need to find all possible ways for decreasing the functional consequences of the impairments caused by MS remains at the front of the stage in the interest of clinicians and other professionals. The rehabilitative approach to a such complex disease as MS is undoubtedly difficult and only the methodologically sounded studies performed more recently have been conducted for exploring the efficacy of various rehabilitative approaches in MS patients. The variety of MS dysfunctions and the unpredictability of the disease evolution at individual level ask for the continuous adaptation of the rehabilitative strategies, the use of all possible approaches, the involvement of different professionals. A brief presentation of the possibilities of rehabilitation, of the implication of the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary organization of the rehabilitative team, of the still preliminary level of the results of cognitive rehabilitation is offered in the chapter.