I have been working as a clinical physiotherapist with people with multiple sclerosis (MS) for 15 years. My research interests focus on rehabilitation in MS. Specifically, I am trying to address a few important questions in MS: 1/ What are the characteristics of fallers and frequent fallers in MS; 2/ Are these characteristics amendable via physiotherapy interventions, and 3/ can exercise, beside well-documented short term benefits, slow down progression in MS?

In rehabilitation medicine in MS, there is strong evidence indicating that exercises are beneficial for people with MS in maintaining or improving their functions. However, there is some recent evidence suggesting that exercise may have the impact on slowing down the natural progression of MS. The question “can exercise slow down progression of MS” is what I would like to address in the next 5 years.

In basic science I have developed a method (Hoang’s method) that allows non-invasive measurements of passive properties of muscles. The method has been recognised, improved and used by a few groups in the world with more than 100 citations. The method has also been applied to investigate the properties of muscles in neurological populations who have developed joint contracture. The next step is to use the method to investigate the effectiveness of interventions targeted muscle and joint contractures.