Eureka! Institutional Repository

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic demyelinating autoimmune disease, which affects various parts of the CNS [Spinal Cord (SP), brainstem and cerebellum] and it is characterized by the presence of several plaques. The plaques are focus of demyelination and located mainly in the white matter of the brain and the SP of the CNS. The disease has an unknown etiology and is divided into threestages of development: Inflammatory reaction, Demyelination and Remyelination. The clinical picture of MS diverge from patient to patient, depends on the stage of the disease and the area of the damage. There may be motor, sensory, visual, perceptual , emotional, sexual and urinary symptoms. The diagnosis is mainly based on the criteria of Poser et al, the CT and MRI, evoked potentials and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. The medical intervention aims at inhibiting the progression of the disease, the immediate treatment of the symptoms and the reduction of the risk of severe disability. It is divided into treatment for MS attacks, treatment to modify progression and treatment for MS signs and symptoms. The physiotherapy intervention is an alternative approach to treating MS. Initially, there is a complete assessment of the patient by select the history background, assessment of individual systems and the use of special assessing scales. Then, the appropriate therapeutic techniques will be applied depending on the condition of the patient. The basic treatment protocol consists of Electrotherapy, Hydrotherapy, Respiratory physiotherapy,Kinesiotherapy and the treatment of further symptoms, such as fatigue. This review presents the recent literature data on key features, etiology and clinical picture of the disease, the available diagnostic methods and physical therapy approach.