By David Spero, RN
Medically Reviewed by Samuel Mackenzie, MD, PhD
Have you found yourself clumsier or less coordinated since you developed multiple sclerosis (MS)? Is your walking affected?
One approach that may give you your rhythm back is music therapy — a type of therapy that uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, or social needs of individuals.
How can music help with MS? Barbara Seebacher, PhD, a physiotherapist based in Innsbruck, Austria, explains:
“There are three different brain centers responsible for the timing of movement: the motor cortex, the basal ganglia, and the cerebellum. One or another of these can be damaged by stroke, Parkinson’s disease, or multiple sclerosis.”
Music can often supply the timing that has been damaged, helping your body to work more smoothly.
Neurological music therapist Brian Harris, a founder of MedRhythms in Boston, says, “When you hear a rhythm, a song, or a metronome, it activates the auditory system, which activates the motor system at a subconscious level.”
This process is called “entrainment.” Harris says, “The rhythm is telling your brain to tell your body to move. For people who have damage to the brain, using rhythm can engage undamaged areas to help people move. We have quantifiable data on this. People walk faster; they have longer strides. You can see the changes on neurological imaging.”
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