Purpose: To explore the lived experience of physical exertion for persons living with advanced multiple sclerosis (MS).
Method: An interpretive (hermeneutic) phenomenological approach was undertaken with 8 persons living with advanced MS. Interviews were conducted with exploratory questions that explored participants' experiences of physical exertion. Data was analysed using phenomenological methods and the findings presented as hermeneutic stories.
Results: Participants conveyed physical exertion as a means of influencing their connection with the world. Interpretation identified four subthemes; Lived Body, Sense of Self, Purpose of exertion, and Attributes of the World and an overarching superordinate theme Body-World engagement. Hermeneutic stories illuminated the intertwined relationship between the themes and the idiographic nature of physical exertion.
Conclusion: The experience of physical exertion was meaningfully related to participants' sense of self, agency, and 'being in the world'.
Keywords: Interpretive phenomenology; advanced multiple sclerosis; embodiment; hermeneutic stories; identity; lived experience; physical exertion.
For persons living with advanced MS:Physical exertion has the potential to enhance sense of self through regaining a lost, or creating a new identity.Physical exertion can enhance bodily consciousness and cause individuals to dwell on inability, consequently health care professionals should consider how their language and therapy focus may intensify this.Attempting to meet societally accepted standards of normal had a shaping influence on the exertional experience.The meaning of physical exertion is influenced by an individual’s preconceptions and healthcare professionals should take time to understanding these, in order to optimise engagement in physical exertion.