Jun 3, 2026 · 39 min · 12 segments
In this solo episode, I'm getting into one of the most common (and most misunderstood) multiple sclerosis symptoms… MS spasticity. If your legs feel heavy, your muscles lock up, or you've been told…
[upbeat music] The big question is, how does someone with MS actually improve their mobility, strength, energy, independence? The list goes on.
My name is Dr. Gretchen Hawley, physical therapist and multiple sclerosis specialist.
Tune in as I share the top strategies and exercises to help you gain control over your life with MS using research-driven insights and advice from top industry experts.
I am Dr. Gretchen Hawley, a physical therapist and multiple sclerosis certified specialist, which is basically just a mouthful way of saying that I specialize in helping people with MS learn exercises and strategies and techniques, ways to do things to not just get stronger and improve your balance, but also make your daily activities feel easier and less overwhelming, less cumbersome.
Spasticity is such a common symptom, and it's often misunderstood, and there's several things that we can do to reduce it and manage it.
We're gonna be talking about things like why it happens, what triggers it, and perhaps most importantly or what you might be most interested in, is how to manage it.
So we're going to touch on each of those things, and then at the end I want to overview on just what newest research is showing because spasticity can be very debilitating and limiting, and it can affect us in our daily lives in so, so many ways.
And therefore, there are researchers out there trying to find solutions to reduce it.
And so I wanted to share that with you so that you feel up to date on what is happening in spasticity research, specifically for multiple sclerosis.
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[upbeat music] The big question is, how does someone with MS actually improve their mobility, strength, energy, independence? The list goes on.
My name is Dr. Gretchen Hawley, physical therapist and multiple sclerosis specialist.
Tune in as I share the top strategies and exercises to help you gain control over your life with MS using research-driven insights and advice from top industry experts.
I am Dr. Gretchen Hawley, a physical therapist and multiple sclerosis certified specialist, which is basically just a mouthful way of saying that I specialize in helping people with MS learn exercises and strategies and techniques, ways to do things to not just get stronger and improve your balance, but also make your daily activities feel easier and less overwhelming, less cumbersome.
Spasticity is such a common symptom, and it's often misunderstood, and there's several things that we can do to reduce it and manage it.
We're gonna be talking about things like why it happens, what triggers it, and perhaps most importantly or what you might be most interested in, is how to manage it.
So we're going to touch on each of those things, and then at the end I want to overview on just what newest research is showing because spasticity can be very debilitating and limiting, and it can affect us in our daily lives in so, so many ways.
And therefore, there are researchers out there trying to find solutions to reduce it.
And so I wanted to share that with you so that you feel up to date on what is happening in spasticity research, specifically for multiple sclerosis.
