Commitment to physical activity and health: a case study of a Paralympic Gold medallist

Background: Physical activity has been documented as both beneficial and detrimental for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The varied experience highlights challenges associated with physical activity and MS, requiring a greater understanding of the experiences of exercise for individuals with MS.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore how physical activity played a role in the life of a Paralympic Gold medallist. Carol was diagnosed with MS and went onto achieve the highest accolade in Paralympic sport.

Methods: Narrative inquiry, within a single-case design, explored how physical activity played a role in Carol’s life. The narrative was analysed through the lens of a salutogenic framework, which explores how individuals create health despite adverse circumstances.

Findings: Carol’s physical activity pathway explores life before and after her diagnosis, motivations to return to exercise and pathway to Paralympic Gold. Carol’s experiences highlight how physical activity played a role during various stages of her life. Exercise had a significant role in Carol’s life prior to diagnosis, it assisted in the management of MS and she cycled the elite level, winning a Paralympic Gold medal in para-cycling.

• Implications for Rehabilitation

• Physical activity has been reported as beneficial for multiple sclerosis management; however, there can be a fine line between the benefits and an overload that can harm.

• An elite athlete with multiple sclerosis maintained and sustained physical activity to the highest level in elite sport, incorporating a positive health outlook throughout different stages of her life.

• The case highlights how commitment and self-awareness of capabilities and limits may be useful self-management tools in increasing physical activity for individuals living with multiple sclerosis.