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How does exercise help multiple sclerosis?

It cannot repair the nerve damage MS causes, but it trains the muscles, heart, lungs and balance systems that MS undermines, so you keep moving and functioning for longer.

MS damages the myelin that insulates nerve fibres in your central nervous system, so signals between your brain and body slow down or misfire. That is what produces the weakness, fatigue, balance problems and coordination difficulty. Exercise works on the other side of that equation. A trained muscle still contracts harder. A conditioned cardiovascular system still delivers oxygen more efficiently. Practised balance still sharpens. None of that reverses the condition, but all of it changes how the condition shows up in your day.

The evidence-informed physical activity guidelines for adults with MS (Latimer-Cheung and colleagues, 2013, drawn from a systematic review of 54 studies) recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity twice a week and strength training for the major muscle groups twice a week for people with mild to moderate MS. The same review found no evidence that following these guidelines triggers a relapse or worsens fatigue. The dose is the whole point, which is where an exercise physiologist comes in.

What does an exercise physiologist do that a personal trainer doesn't?

An Accredited Exercise Physiologist is a university-qualified allied health professional who prescribes exercise as a clinical treatment. This is rehabilitation, not a fitness class.

The difference is control of the dose. Your exercise physiologist reads your fatigue pattern and your sensitivity to heat, sets the intensity so you gain capacity without setting off a flare, and changes the plan as your symptoms shift from week to week. They also coordinate with your GP, neurologist and physiotherapist, so the exercise sits inside the rest of your care rather than running alongside it.

What can exercise physiology actually change for someone with MS?

Realistic targets are stronger legs, steadier balance, lower day-to-day fatigue and looser muscles, each trained deliberately rather than left to chance.

• Strength and walking. MS weakens muscles unevenly and raises the risk of falls. Progressive resistance training loads the specific muscles that stabilise your hips, knees and trunk, so standing up, climbing stairs and walking take less effort and feel more secure.

• Fatigue. The research on MS fatigue is consistent: aerobic training reduces how fatigued people feel. It works not by pushing through the tiredness but by lifting your baseline capacity, so ordinary tasks cost you less energy. We pair that with pacing and energy budgeting you can use at home.

• Spasticity and stiffness. Targeted stretching and controlled range-of-motion work reduce muscle tone and stiffness, which improves comfort and how far a joint will move.

• Mood. Regular exercise is one of the better-evidenced treatments for low mood and anxiety, and the MS reviews report improvements in depression alongside the physical gains.

For walking specifically, we have equipment most Sydney clinics do not. Our AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill reduces your effective body weight by up to 80 percent (manufacturer specification), so you can practise a full walking pattern with far less load through tired legs and much less risk of falling. That lets us retrain walking earlier, and more often, than floor work alone allows.

How do you access exercise physiology through the NDIS?

If MS is part of your NDIS plan, exercise physiology is usually funded under Capacity Building, in the Improved Daily Living category.

Your plan is built around goals, so a program aimed at keeping you walking, working or independent at home fits the funding directly. If your plan is self-managed or plan-managed, you can book with us directly. If it is NDIA-managed, ask us to confirm how we can be included before you start. Either way, we write the progress reports your planner needs, so the value of the work is documented at your plan review.

Can I use Medicare instead of, or alongside, the NDIS?

Yes. If your GP prepares a chronic condition plan, Medicare subsidises up to five allied health sessions a year, and exercise physiology is one of the eligible services.

From 1 July 2025, the old GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements were replaced by the GP Chronic Condition Management Plan (GPCCMP). Under it, eligible patients can access up to five subsidised allied health services per calendar year. Those five are shared across every allied health provider you see, so managing MS may mean splitting the sessions between exercise physiology and, for example, physiotherapy. Your GP decides eligibility and writes the referral, Medicare covers part of the fee, and there is usually a gap payment. (Source: Services Australia.)

You can hold both an NDIS plan and a Medicare plan, but you cannot claim them for the same session. In practice, many people fund ongoing exercise physiology through their NDIS plan and use Medicare for separate needs. We can help you work out which one applies to what.

Why Spectrum Healthcare in North Ryde and Macquarie Park?

Most clinics can run you through some exercises. We do too, but we treat MS as a long-term neurological condition whose exercise has to be dosed and adjusted, delivered by exercise physiologists trained in chronic and neurological conditions and backed by equipment, like the AlterG treadmill, built for exactly this kind of retraining. We coordinate with your GP, neurologist and physiotherapist so the plan holds together, and we handle the NDIS and Medicare reporting so the funding side does not fall on you

How do I get started?

The first step is an assessment. In one session we look at how MS is affecting your strength, balance, walking and fatigue right now, and map that against what you want to be able to do. From there we build the program and sort out the NDIS or Medicare paperwork. If exercise physiology is not the right fit for where you are, we will tell you. Call the North Ryde clinic or book online to arrange your initial assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is exercise safe if my MS fatigue is bad?

Yes, when it is dosed correctly. The reason to work with an exercise physiologist is that the intensity is matched to your fatigue and heat tolerance, so you build capacity instead of triggering a flare.

Will exercise make my MS worse or cause a relapse?

The MS physical activity guidelines were built from a review of 54 studies and found no evidence that following them causes a relapse or worsens symptoms (Latimer-Cheung et al., 2013).

Do I need a referral to see an exercise physiologist?

Not for private, self-managed or plan-managed NDIS access. You do need a GP referral, through a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan, to claim the Medicare rebate.

Can I use both the NDIS and Medicare?

You can hold both, but you cannot claim them for the same session. Many people fund ongoing work through their NDIS plan and use Medicare separately. We can help you sort out which applies.

Where are you based?

Our clinic is in North Ryde, serving Macquarie Park, Ryde and the surrounding suburbs.