Dr. Claudia Kern has been awarded the Bavarian Rehabilitation Sport Award. The staff member of the operation unit of Applied Sport Sciences received the award in October as part of the rehabilitation sports symposium held in Erlangen. The experts elected Dr. Kern's thesis on the topic of "Climbing with multiple sclerosis" for best work in the field of rehabilitation and prevention for individuals with disabilities. The award is endowed with EUR 1000.
Climbing: Diverse sport in prevention and therapy
As part of the award ceremony, Dr. Kern presented key findings of her doctoral thesis. "Climbing combines very many important elements. For one thing, of course, there is power and the promotion of balance. In addition, a strong psychological component and - by mutual backing up and cheering - also a social component," analyzed Kern. Thus, this type of sport is suitable both for use in prevention as well as in therapy.
"We've known for years that sport can have several very positive effects in therapy," sums up Prof. Renate Oberhoffer, a Full Professor at the Department of Preventive Pediatrics who supervised Kern in writing her doctoral thesis. "In multiple sclerosis, sport reduces 'fatigue', for example, and ensures that some physical limitations only develop later," says Prof. Oberhoffer. Similar effects could also be observed in Parkinson's patients. In cases of depression, sport serves to lift the mood and increase the drive of the patient according to Oberhoffer.
TUM: Climbing Group "MS on the Rocks"
At the TUM School of Sport and Health Sciences, there has already been a climbing group for people with multiple sclerosis for 10 years. "We initiated the topic 'Climbing with MS' ten years ago and it has since developed at numerous levels, such as those which have evolved through introductory courses held in cooperation with the German Multiple Sclerosis Society," says Kern.
Six years ago, an inventory of the offers available in Germany for therapeutic climbing groups was made by the Department of Preventive Pediatrics. "The focus was more on participants from orthopedics, neurology and psychiatry, but I think that this has meanwhile changed. Ever more groups have developed specifically for therapeutic climbing," sums up Kern. In order to impart their knowledge further and in addition to the climbing group, the TUM School of Sport and Health Sciences has provided a modularized continuing education course on "Therapeutic climbing" since 2015.
"I think the Bavarian Rehabilitation Sport Prize is also an award for the longstanding work of Dr. Kern with a patient population which is not always easy. That deserves recognition," says Oberhoffer.
The Bavarian Rehabilitation Sport prize is awarded by the Disabled Sports Association Bavaria (Bayern BVS) together with the Institute of Medical Physics at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Prizes will be awarded for best scientific work in the field of sports and rehabilitation as well as prevention.
To the homepage of the sports group MS on the Rocks
To the homepage of the Department of Preventive Pediatrics
To the homepage of the Academy of Continuing Education TUM Sport and Health for Life
Contact:
Dr. Claudia Kern
Department of Preventive Pediatrics
Uptown Munich, Campus D
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
Phone: 089 289 24692
E-mail: Claudia.Kern(at)tum.de
Text: Fabian Kautz
Photos: Kern; TUM