Mission

Research-based water therapy for multiple sclerosis

Since 2011, this project has continuously developed water-based exercise therapy for people with multiple sclerosis. The aim is to investigate a scientifically sound, practical therapeutic approach for patients whose functional limitations only partially allow, or no longer allow, conventional exercise therapy on land.

At its core is motor-assisted training with the Reha-Aquabike, which allows an individually adjustable load under the particular physical conditions of water. Building on many years of technical, therapeutic and scientific groundwork, this approach is now being examined systematically in a clinical setting.

The current clinical phase serves the structured evaluation of feasibility, safety and potential effects of water-based therapy in more severely affected MS patients. Among the aspects considered are functional limitations, exercise tolerance, spasticity, fatigue and parameters relevant to quality of life.

The project builds on existing scientific knowledge about exercise in water and specifically addresses a question that has so far been insufficiently studied: the evidence-based use of structured water therapy in advanced multiple sclerosis. The data obtained are intended to contribute both to the further development of clinical therapeutic approaches and to the preparation of more in-depth scientific questions.

In the long term, the project aims to make effective, safe and patient-centred forms of therapy available to people with multiple sclerosis, and thereby to make a lasting contribution to improving quality of life and relieving the healthcare system.

The project is implemented in phases, each made possible by project-related funding from charitable foundations, complemented by private support.