away from MS symptoms. Cold, rainy or snowy weather
conditions required planning of adequate clothing; in addition,
these conditions led some participants to use cautious behavior
when the ground was slippery and led a few to omit sessions.
However, mastering outdoor exercise was highlighted in positive
terms, such as discovering new ways to become active.
3.4 Professional leadership, tailoring and
co-creation of enjoyment
The way the physiotherapists led the group and, in particular,
interacted with each participant were regarded as helpful for
improving their bodily functions and activity levels. Some
participants reported being afraid to try out new activities or
training at high intensities after being diagnosed with MS but felt
safe to explore when supervised by the physiotherapist because of
their trust in the relationship between them and in the
physiotherapist’s professional knowledge.
How the physiotherapist approached the participants
individually was described as important from this perspective. In
particular, bodily interactions in which the physiotherapist
demonstrated with his or her own body or placed his or her
hands on the participant’s body to correct a movement were
reported to be successful, as it helped to increase speed and gave
participants a sense of performing better or for a longer duration.
If they did an exercise in a suboptimal way, participants reported
receiving precise supervision, or if they expressed pain or were
injured, the physiotherapist was supportive, assessed them and
Dahl et al. 10.3389/fresc.2024.1303094
Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences 07 frontiersin.org