Anyone who’s dealt with MS knows that fatigue is its most overwhelming and frustrating symptom. But a study demonstrates that MS patients can learn strategies and techniques for managing their fatigue and thus greatly improve the quality of their lives.

The study involved teaching “energy conservation” strategies to 54 participants (18 men, 36 women) with mild-to-moderate MS over the course of 19 weeks. Those strategies included, among others, having a positive attitude toward decision-making, making the best use of available energy (for example, changing incorrect work height or changing a body position), increasing the amount of rest, and eliminating certain energy-draining activities altogether.

When they were interviewed six weeks after completing the course, participants said the techniques they used to conserve energy most often were “changing body position for certain activities, resting during longer activities, changing location of equipment and supplies, eliminating portions of activities, resting at least 1 hour daily, planning the day, and including rest periods in the day.” They also indicated that the approaches that had proved most helpful to them were planning their day and resting more frequently.

Based on the success of this study, the authors suggest that the benefits of energy conservation courses should also be studied for those with severe MS as well as for other types of fatigue-causing illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, post-polio symptoms, and chronic fatigue syndrome, among others.

For further information: “Efficacy of an energy conservation course for persons with multiple sclerosis,” V. Mathiowetz, PhD, OTR; K. Matuska, MPH; and M. Murphy, MA, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, volume 82, April 2001.