mags4dorset Charity of the year – The Osborne Centre
Dear Readers,
Hi again from the Osborne Centre and our branch at West Parley.
Last month I told you about the facilities available to people whose lives are affected by MS, and also about our eight wheelchair adapted vehicles that transport our members to and from the centre.
This month I’d like to tell you about our physiotherapy suite but, before doing so, I should briefly explain about multiple sclerosis (MS) which is a neurological condition affecting at least 100,000 people in the UK.
Normally in a healthy body, a substance called myelin protects the nerve fibres in the central nervous system. This helps messages travel quickly and smoothly between the brain and the rest of the body.
Living with MS, the body’s immune system which normally helps fight off infection mistakes the myelin for a foreign body and attacks it leaving scars known as lesions or plaques. This damage disrupts messages travelling along nerve fibres causing them to slow down, become distorted, or not get through at all. Depending upon which area of the nervous system is damaged, symptoms can be many and wide-ranging.
Invariably, if or when the condition worsens, physiotherapy plays a huge part in keeping joints and muscles loose and free for as long as possible. As with any long-term health condition, it becomes increasingly difficult to obtain physiotherapy from the NHS on a regular basis.
At our centre, after an initial assessment, approximately 60 members each week have programmed supervised treatment carried out by qualified physiotherapists, either as part of a group session or on a one-to-one basis. As with every department within the centre, experienced volunteers supplement the professional team ensuring the smooth running of a fully equipped very busy department. In addition, yoga, pilates and tai chi classes are run weekly.
Next month: arts and crafts.
Bye for now
Alan Lindsay
President
Bournemouth and District Branch.
MS Society
Tel: 01202 570300
www.ms-bournemouth.co.uk
