Living with a chronic illness is never easy, but one research project at the University of Saskatchewan hopes to improve the lives of those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in a unique and innovative way.

Two of three Hermes Canada MS Society National Wellness Research Grants were awarded to the U of S to study the benefits that structured exercise routines may have on individuals with MS. The grants are each worth $40,000, and they wish to encourage research collaboration between academic institutions like the U of S and community partners — resulting in a unique approach to medical testing and research.

Charity Evans, an associate professor in the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, is leading the U of S part of the research project.

One grant went to a slightly more unconventional project: exploring the benefits that regular pilates classes may have for people with MS. This project comes as a collaboration between a team of U of S professors and a community partner, Lead Pilates and Integrative Health Therapies.

The study will run for 12 weeks and include 30 participants. Half of the subjects will complete a twice-weekly pilates program and a weekly massage. The other half of the participants, the control group, will receive the massage only. Researchers will investigate any noticeable differences in things such as strength, balance, stamina and quality of life.

The original project proposal was the brainchild of Lead Pilates owners Jana and Jason Danielson. After working for several years in the health and wellness industry, the couple was drawn to the world of MS research after a friend within the MS society brought the Wellness Research Grants to their attention. As the grant program aims to improve the lives of individuals living with chronic illness through innovative wellness strategies, Jana Danielson felt it was directly in line with her goals for Lead Pilates.

“When someone asks me why [Lead Pilates] exists, that’s exactly why we exist. There’s so much misinformation and just poor quality information out there about fitness and wellness and movement,” Danielson said. “We want to help people navigate through all of that noisy information and find a plan and help them be accountable to that so they can truly increase their quality of life.”

The U of S component is led by Charity Evans, an associate professor with the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition. She is joined by kinesiology faculty members Jon Farthing and Phil Chilibeck, as well as post-doctoral fellow Dr. Whitney Duff. Evans, who has a background in MS research, spoke about the unconventional nature of the study.

“There’s not a lot of research that’s been done on pilates and MS, to date, and nothing done in Canada, but what has been done has shown that it has been beneficial for things like muscle strength or fatigue,” Evans said.

Although the study has yet to take place, Evans was able to elaborate on the desired outcomes of the project.

“The ideal outcome would be that we would see a difference, so that we would see that people in the pilates class had improved walking ability. We expect to see improvements in things like quality of life, muscle strength — and you know, really, at the end of the day if the participants feel better because they were involved in an exercise program, that is a benefit in itself,” Evans said.

Aside from the potential physical benefits for MS patients, Danielson emphasized how pilates can help improve one’s overall quality of life — a goal she is happy to strive towards in any way she can.

“It’s as simple as this: our body was built to move,” Danielson said. “Movement is medicine. Movement is one way you can connect the mind and the body, to shut off everything else that’s going on in your world and just focus on this body. We only have one body to live in and we have to make it as effective and efficient for us so we can lead a high quality of life.”

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Emily Klatt / Sports & Health Editor

Photo: SHRF / Supplied