Dr. Richard Hicks

Dick Hicks

"The bottom line," says Richard Hicks, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Jimmie Heuga Center in Edwards, Colorado, "is that cooling absolutely improves everything about function for people with MS.(2)"

Until recently, most personal cooling gear has required refrigeration and ice packs, pumps, tubes, chemicals or other appliances.

"As people with MS become better conditioned from exercising, they are able to exercise longer with less fatigue," explained Dick Hicks, PhD, Executive Director of the Jimmie Heuga Center in Edwards, CO.

If You Can't Take the Heat. . .Plan Ahead

Richard Hicks, PhD

Richard Hicks, Ph.D.The Heuga Center

In 1987, Dr. Richard Hicks was hired by the Heuga Center to be its director of Research and Education.Dr. Hicks, who currently serves on the board of the Heuga Foundation, had a background that included having studied the benefits of exercise with other illnesses, such as heart disease.

Dick Hicks, PhD, Avon, CO

People at all ability levels can benefit from aqua exercise, says Richard Hicks, PhD, executive director of The Jimmie Heuga Center in Avon, Colorado, [ 1- (800) 367-3101 ext. 4 ], which offers 5-day wellness programs for people with MS. Even those who normally do not have use of their legs can perform water exercises involving their legs--a psychological boost as well as a health benefit. Aquatic exercise can increase muscle strength, improve cardiac fitness, and help to increase flexibility, endurance, balance, and coordination.
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it be possible to learn aquatic exercises from books and videotapes, but ideally, beginners should work with an instructor, says Dr. Hicks.An instructor can teach you how to pace yourself, and adapt your routine as your MS symptoms change.Some people are so gratified by the new accomplishments that water allows, that they overdo, warns Dr. Hicks, so start slowly, and gradually increase the time spent..

Getting Started

Consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program.

Consider convenience.Exercise sites should be within a 30-minute commute from home or work.