The lived experience of physical exertion for persons with advanced multiple sclerosis: making connections with the world

Figures & data

Table 1. Participant demographic information.

Anonymised name (pseudonym)	Gender	Age	Time since MS diagnosis	Mobility level	Regular use of prescription medication for mood related illness
David	Male	72 years	10 years	Walk maximum 20 m with 2 walking poles	No
Julie	Female	50 years	25 years	Walk maximum 20 m with 1 walking stick	Yes
Louise	Female	67 years	20 years	Walk 4 m with a frame or uses an electric scooter	No
Carrie	Female	61 years	15 years	Full time wheelchair user. Can transfer independently	Yes
Isobel	Female	70 years	12 years	Full time wheelchair use. Requires assistance and Rotunda to transfer	Yes
John	Male	75 years	10 years	Walks maximum 10 m with a frame and has a powered wheelchair	No
Adele	Female	45 years	20 years	Walks maximum 15 m with a wheeled frame	No
Anne	Female	56 years	18 years	Full time powered wheelchair user. Requires a hoist to transfer	No

Figure 1. The ‘physical exertion jigsaw puzzle’, illuminates the intertwined relationship between the subtheme pieces and core superordinate theme, where the dovetails between jigsaw pieces imply a sense of connection.

An image of a circular jigsaw where the centre piece represents the superordinate theme, Body-World engagement. The remaining circle is split into 4 quarters, with dovetail connections between each piece and the centre piece. Each quarter segments illustrates one subtheme; Sense of Self, Lived Body, Purpose of Exertion and Attributes of the World. The dove tail connections between the jigsaw pieces are defined in bold white against the colour of the segments to represents the intertwined relationship between the sub and superordinate themes.