The MSing Link: The Essential Guide to Improve Walking, Strength & Balance for People with Multiple Sclerosis

by Gretchen Hawley

“Finally! A brilliant and most practical book on understanding neuroplasticity and exercise with MS. A fount of meaningful information along with guided movements to begin this journey with Dr. Gretchen Hawley. I have been resistant to purposeful exercise due to ... lack of interest. This book changes so much. And I am grateful. Essential reading! Motivating and incredibly important in all of our healing endeavors.” — Selma Blair, Actress, New York Times Best Selling Author, and MS Advocate


Has multiple sclerosis caused you to become fearful, frustrated, or overwhelmed because your walking or mobility isn’t improving? Dr. Gretchen Hawley's The MSing Link offers a comprehensive guide to taking control of your MS symptoms and improving your mobility through MS-specific exercises and strategies.

As a physical therapist and MS certified specialist, Dr. Hawley understands the unique challenges of MS and how to address them with neuroplasticity-based exercises. The MSing Link provides step-by-step instructions and helpful tips for reducing your MS symptoms while feeling empowered through MS exercises that focus on strengthening your neural pathways and your muscles. After reading The MSing Link , you'll have the tools ✓ Improve your walking on even and uneven surfaces ✓ Gain leg and core strength ✓ Improve your balance and reduce falls ✓ Reduce fatigue ✓ Modify exercises based on how your MS affects you each day ✓ Manage temperature sensitivity and sensation changes ✓ Feel confident that you can make a change in your mobility ✓ Learn where and how to start exercising with MS

If you’ve tried physical therapy or other exercise programs in the past and they didn’t help, it’s not because of your MS or lack of effort - it was the wrong type of exercise. By focusing on strengthening your neural pathways in addition to your muscles, you'll finally start seeing improvements in your mobility, energy, and confidence. Dr. Hawley's expertise and experience make her an invaluable resource for anyone with MS looking to improve their quality of life.
ABOUT DR. GRETCHEN HAWLEY Dr. Gretchen is a Physical Therapist & Multiple Sclerosis Certified Specialist. She is the founder and creator of The MSing Link, an online program offering services to help people with MS worldwide feel more confident in their strength, walking, and daily activities. Her groundbreaking exercises and strategies utilize neuroplasticity, targeting improvements in the neural pathways in the brain and spinal cord as well as muscles. Dr. Gretchen has been featured in publications such as Forbes, National MS Society, Overcoming MS, MS-UK, and MS Views & News. Dr. Gretchen has made numerous television appearances and is a frequent presenter at national & international MS conferences. You can find her teaching exercise demonstrations via The MSing Link, her online MS wellness program, as well as her podcast, app, and webinars. Catch her in action on all social media channels, most predominantly YouTube (@DoctorGretchenHawley) and Instagram (@Doctor.Gretchen) For more information, visit www.doctorgretchenhawley.com

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

173 pages, Paperback

Published July 5, 2023

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had MS for a long time and I've seen excellent MS specialists, and been through multiple rounds of physical therapy as the disease has progressed. Even so, I have learned many things from Dr. Gretchen that I hadn't learned from any of these other sources! I've had a lot of complications and setbacks trying to recover from my last MS attack two years ago, but her content on her podcast, YouTube channel and The MSing Link have been a huge help to me in being able to maintain and make progress beyond what I was able to do even through in-person PT. I'm really excited that she now has a lot of this great information and exercises available in book format. This makes her expertise accessible to so many people, and is a great reference for someone like me who is already familiar with some of her content.

This book lays out a lot of helpful, research-based content in a digestible, easy-to-understand, encouraging way. The principles, tips and exercises she shares are game-changers for those of us who have been struggling to fight back against MS progression. She has great clear illustrations of the exercises with correct positions as well, which is also very helpful.

I recommend this book for anyone with MS, and for the providers who treat us. Even if you're newly diagnosed and/or not experiencing a lot of symptoms yet, this book will help you be equipped and prepared to deal with things as they come and even help prevent some problems by harnessing the power of neuroplasticity early on.

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is INDISPENSABLE! For any new diagnosed or simply diagnosed for a while, it sheds a new light on exercises, movements, stretches, and most of all it gives hope. I loved the way Dr Gretchen wrote the book, as if she was talking to you ; and you have answers and explanations that you usually don’t get from your neurologist. Do read this book multiple times, take notes, add sticky notes, it’s a bible you’ll want to compulse on a regular basis.

[Melani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel weird giving this book a rating, or even marking it 'read'. It's not a book you really finish, it's a book to flip through and try exercises out with. It's very accessible though, Hawley is very well informed on MS, and she's gentle. Throughout the book she reiterates that you should do what you can and that any movement counts. Targeted exercise is good, but if you can't do that, your daily routine is still good and better than doing nothing.

I'm about a year into my diagnosis, and I found the book helpful. Not just in the exercises it gives, but in locating the problem areas and ideas on how to specifically focus on those.

I do reccomend for others with MS.

[Narjas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives me hope!

[Emerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

This should be given to every MS patient after their diagnosis. I've had my diagnosis for 6 years and despite all the research I've done, Dr. Gretchen's explanations of the illness helped me better understand certain aspects of the disease.

The exercises she explains sound so simple and yet she also makes them sound so beneficial. This book provides a little bit of hope to help patients get motived and get started with exercising for their health.

[Lyns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who has MS should read this.

Really practical and well explained exercises, which you can build into daily life. Love the silly walk in particular, and it helps!

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic as a person with MS it’s hard to listen to your body and doing what’s best and beating yourself up for not doing things. And this book tells it like it is and puts it in a language that is easy to understand..