If you’re struggling with the physical and mental limitations of MS, tai chi can help improve balance and ease stress through a series of flowing, coordinated movements.

By Elizabeth Shimer Bowers

Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

Tai chi may improve balance and ease emotional stress in multiple sclerosis patients.

The long-practiced Chinese martial art can lower cortisol, a primary indicator of stress. Gentler than most forms of yoga, tai chi involves a set of ordered, slow motions that promote balance and coordination through thoughtful consideration of each movement and body awareness.

“People can benefit from the coordinated neuromuscular style of exercise and the greater lower-body strength and stability,” says William Helm, BS, HHP, a tai chi instructor and chairman of the body therapy department at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego.

How Tai Chi Helps MS

• Balance. The slow, repetitive weight-shifting movements and emphasis on maintaining an erect spine in tai chi help improve balance, Helm says. Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients tend to compensate for dysfunctional body systems by relying heavily on others. Therefore, it’s important to strengthen joint position sense and gain muscle control.
• Muscle tone. Tai chi moves must be done slowly and require significant lower-extremity and core strength. The knees are often slightly flexed, which works the quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh and the hamstrings muscles in back of the thigh.
• Relaxation. “Relaxation is one of the main principles emphasized in tai chi,” Helm says. Slow, deep, diaphragmatic breathing often has a calming effect on participants. The exercise also encourages visualization of energy flow in the body, which can serve as a stress-buster.
• Tai Chi Exercises for MS Patients
  Talk with your doctor before starting a tai chi class, and then make sure to find an instructor who works with MS patients. Before you start training, let your instructor know about your specific health challenges so as to allow for an adapted lesson plan.
  To get maximum benefits from tai chi, MS patients should practice for at least two hours a week, Helm says. “Part of the benefit of using tai chi with MS is that once you learn the forms and sequences, you can practice them on your own daily,” he adds.
  For more information visit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society website, check out local MS support groups and visit senior centers and recreation centers that may sponsor tai chi classes.