"Multiple Sclerosis is an illness with many faces. The symptoms can be quite varied", says Dr. Claudia Kern from the Faculty for Preventive Pediatrics. Therapeutic forms for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are consequently appropriately varied. The group "MS on the Rocks" follows a broad basic approach. Here, people with MS learn to climb with the support of experienced instructors.
On Saturday, May 9, "MS on the Rocks" celebrates their 10-year anniversary. In the summer of 2005, the project was initiated in the course of a diploma dissertation by Tobias Käser. The Faculty for Preventive Pediatrics decided to continue with the support of this sports group under the supervision of Dr. Kern. "I hold Claudia Kern in high esteem. It is an enormous challenge to motivate and train individuals with this illness over such a long period of time. And it is pleasant to see the positive effects of this training", summarizes Prof. Dr. Renate Oberhoffer, a Full Professor of the Faculty for Preventive Pediatrics.
Showcase training session and scientific symposium
The 10-year "MS on the Rocks" jubilee will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning with a showcase training session. "We want to show what type of achievements are possible in spite of the illness", explains Kern. At 02:30 p.m. a symposium will take place with scientific lectures (Wirtshaus am Bavariapark, Theresienhöhe 15). Among others, Prof. Dr. Martin Halle, Vice dean of the Faculty for Sport and Health Sciences, will be speaking. Already 110 participants have registered to attend.
Inflammatory illness of the nerve fibers
According to the German Multiple Sclerosis Society, around 2.5 million individuals are suffering from MS worldwide, about 200,000 alone in Germany. MS is an inflammatory illness of the nervous system. Stimuli are conducted from the brain to the body by way of nerve fibers. These fibers – similar to electric cables – are surrounded by a myelin sheath. "The inflammatory processes associated with MS destroy this protective layer. This hinders the conduction of the nervous stimuli", explains Kern. Symptoms extend from limitations in coordination to disturbances in balance and further to visual disturbances.
"Climbing, as a type of sport which puts a demand on the entire body, is very suitable for therapeutic measures, since many different aspects can hereby be addressed", says Kern. Hereby, for example, muscular strength, condition and intramuscular coordination are improved. Through the small steps on the climbing wall, the sense of balance can be trained. On a psychological level, participants learn to overcome their limitations and fears, and develop more self-confidence as well as confidence in their own body.
"In addition to this, there is the social level, which is a mutual experience, the exchange between one another - and not only by way of the illness, but primarily through the sport and the reciprocal support. This level is actually very important for the participants", says the sport sciences graduate.
57 Participants, a 13 meter wall height, up to a level of difficulty of 7
On the up to 13 meter high wall of the TUM Campus in the Olympiapark, various routes are available every Saturday for "MS on the Rocks". Each of the 57 participants climbs with a top rope so that they are already secured by a rope which supports them from above. The ropes are handled by specially-trained belayers. The group of climbers from MS on the Rocks is heterogeneous. "Some of our climbers have hardly any limitations, while others are dependent on their wheelchairs during their everyday life", says a staff member of the Faculty for Preventive Pediatrics. Routes are climbed with a level of difficulty of four or five, but also in part up to a level of difficulty of seven.
Improvement in the motor activities and balance
"Actual results are difficult to verify scientifically, but can be observed in practice", knows Ms. Kern. The motor activity of one participant has improved to such an extent that he can meanwhile close knots by himself. The disturbances in balance had also been stabilized in others and they report that they are now able to stand more securely in the street car. "We have been able to establish that the people have become more active and that there is clear tendency to see improvements in various regions", concludes Kern."
"‘MS on the Rocks’ reflects our demands for translational research, whereby we bring science into concrete application fields and, reciprocally, generate new scientific projects from the practical experiences", explains Oberhoffer. Thus, Kern obtained her degree on the application of climbing as a therapeutic measure against MS. In 2008, "MS on the Rocks" received the 4000 Euro Hertie Prize for Engagement and self-help.
MS on the Rocks Information page
Homepage of the Faculty for Preventive Pediatrics
Contact:
Dr. Claudia Kern
Faculty for Preventive Pediatrics
Connollystr. 32
80809 Munich
Telephone: 089 289 24400
E-Mail: Claudia.Kern(at)tum.de