Dr. Gretchen Hawley PT, DPT, MSCS

Dr. Gretchen Hawley PT, DPT, MSCS Physical Therapist & MS Certified Specialist helping you walk better, feel stronger, and move with confidence — even if nothing else has worked.
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Creator of The MSing Link® program. Learn what actually works for MS.

06/18/2026

If you have MS, one of the hardest parts about balance changes isn’t actually losing your balance… it’s losing trust in your balance. 🧡

You start second-guessing things that used to feel automatic.

➡️ Walking through a crowded room

➡️ Turning around quickly

➡️ Walking across a parking lot

➡️ Walking on uneven ground

➡️ Standing up and wondering if you’ll feel steady

And honestly… that uncertainty can become exhausting.

One of the biggest things I hear from people with MS is:

“”I’m staying active and exercising, but I don’t know if I’m actually doing the right things to improve my balance.””

And that’s a very valid concern.

Because with MS, working harder doesn’t always equal better results.

The type of exercises you’re doing matters.

That’s exactly why I’m hosting a FREE MS-Specific Balance Workshop on June 24th. 😊

During this workshop, we’ll cover:

✅ Why balance changes happen with MS

✅ Common mistakes people make when trying to improve their balance

✅ What MS-specific balance training should actually look like

✅ How to make sure the effort you’re already putting in is actually helping you move toward your goals

My goal isn’t to give you more things to add to your to-do list.

It’s to give you more clarity, confidence, and direction so you can stop guessing and start focusing your energy in the right places. 🧡

Comment BALANCE below and I’ll send you the details. ⬇️

06/17/2026

Struggling with MS fatigue? This 30-minute treatment might help 🤯

Fatigue and pain are two of the most common multiple sclerosis symptoms, but not a lot of people know that this simple tool can make a big difference…

💥 Red light therapy has been shown to reduce MS-related fatigue and pain with just 30 minutes of targeted light exposure daily. 💥

Here’s how red light therapy works:

1️⃣ Red light penetrates deep into your tissues (don’t worry, it’s not harmful!).
2️⃣ Your cells absorb the light, and your mitochondria (aka your energy stores) start producing more energy.
3️⃣ That energy helps reduce inflammation, support myelin repair, boost circulation, and protect your neurons.

As a MS-specialized physical therapist, I’ve seen clients benefit from this natural MS treatment approach.

Red light therapy works with your body to support healing from the inside out.

It’s FDA-cleared, non-invasive, drug-free, and easy to use at home. 🙌

While more research is needed, early studies are really promising for MS fatigue management and multiple sclerosis pain relief.

If you’ve been looking for natural ways to manage your symptoms, this might be worth discussing with your healthcare team.

Have you tried red light therapy before? I’d love to hear your experience! 💬

To see my favorite brand of red light therapy, comment “”light”” and I’ll DM you!

invisibleillness MSfatiguemanagement naturalmstreatments

06/12/2026

Have you started questioning your balance with MS more lately?

Maybe you’re grabbing onto furniture as you walk through your house.

Maybe you’re avoiding stairs unless there’s a railing.

Maybe turning quickly feels less automatic than it used to.

Or maybe you’ve stopped trusting your body in crowded places because you’re worried about losing your balance.

If you live with MS, this is more common than you might think.

And if you’ve ever thought:

“”I guess I just need stronger legs.””

You’re not alone.

As an MS-specialized physical therapist, one of the biggest misconceptions I see is assuming balance is only about strength.

The reality is that balance depends on multiple systems working together.

And MS can affect each of those systems differently.

Which is exactly why doing more balance exercises doesn’t always create the improvements you’re hoping for.

Sometimes the issue isn’t that you’re not working hard enough.

Sometimes you’re simply focusing on the wrong thing.

That’s what we’ll talk about during my FREE MS-Specific Balance Workshop on June 24th. 🧡

You’ll learn:

✅ Why your balance can feel different from one day to the next

✅ The 3 systems that impact balance in people with MS

✅ Why traditional balance exercises don’t always work

✅ What to focus on instead so you can feel more confident in your daily life

Because understanding why something is happening is often the first step toward knowing what to do next.

And you deserve that clarity.

Comment BALANCE below and we’ll send you the registration link. 🧡

When did your balance start feeling... off?Not necessarily worse.Just different.Maybe you can stand steady one moment, a...
06/08/2026

When did your balance start feeling... off?

Not necessarily worse.

Just different.

Maybe you can stand steady one moment, and the next you're reaching for the counter without even realizing it.

Or turning feels fine one day... and completely throws you off the next.

One of the biggest misconceptions about balance with MS is that it's simply a strength issue.

If that were true, then doing more exercises would always lead to better balance.

But that's not what many people experience.

You can be putting in the effort, staying consistent, and still feel unsteady.

Why?

Because balance isn't just about strength. It's also about how your brain receives, processes, and responds to information from your body.

When those systems aren't working together efficiently, balance can feel unpredictable—even from one hour to the next.

That's exactly what I'll be teaching inside my FREE LIVE MS Balance Workshop on June 24.

We'll cover:
🧡 Why balance can feel inconsistent
🧡 The 3 systems your brain relies on for balance
🧡 Why traditional balance exercises often don't translate to daily life
🧡 MS-specific strategies to help you feel steadier when standing, turning, and walking

If you've ever wondered why your balance feels different from day to day, this workshop is for you.

📅 June 24, 2026
⏰ 11:00 AM EST

🔗 https://www.doctorgretchenhawley.com/live-balance-workshop-june2026

06/03/2026

If MS makes going downstairs hard, this exercise can help 👇

Struggling to walk down the stairs safely and smoothly is one of the most common challenges I hear from my clients with MS.

What most people don’t realize?

The key to making it easier isn’t just “practicing the stairs.” 🤔

While that can be helpful, there’s a BIG component that’s missing...

It’s breaking down the small movements involved in walking downstairs, then practicing each of them until they feel easier.

Try this step-down exercise this week:

✔️ Stand on one step and hold onto a railing or wall for balance.
✔️ Step down onto the step in front of you with your right foot.
✔️ Bend your left leg as you lower, keeping your left foot on the original step.
✔️ Press through your right foot and step back up to meet your left foot.
✔️ Repeat 5x on each leg.

If it’s too hard, here’s how to modify it:

➡️ Do the same movement without planting your foot on the lower step.
➡️ Lower your foot into the air, hover for a moment, then return to starting.

This exercise builds leg strength, improves balance, and trains your body to handle stairs more easily in real life! 🚶

Progress happens with practice, and over time, those small reps turn into big wins.

Will you give this a try? Let me know in the comments! 💬

06/02/2026

How you use your cane matters👇

Did you know 90% of cane users are using their cane WRONG?! 🤯

As a physical therapist, this really grinds my gears, but… it’s not your fault!

So often, when you’re given a cane, you have no instruction on how to use it.

Using your cane the *right* way can make ALL the difference in how easily and confidently you move around.... not to mention with less aches and pains in your wrist/elbow/neck.

So... if you want to feel MORE balanced and LESS dependent on your cane...

Try these 3 simple tips I’ve learned as a physical therapist:

1️⃣ Adjust the height.

Your cane should hit right at your wrist bones when you stand tall to give you the right support.

If you normally wear shoes, make sure to adjust the cane when you’re wearing shoes vs. not wearing shoes.

2️⃣ Hold your cane on the opposite side of your weak leg.

This allows you to transfer some weight OFF of the weaker side of your body, which can make balance and strength come more naturally.

3️⃣ Move your cane forward at the SAME time as your weak leg.

This ensures that you’re putting weight through the cane at the same time as putting weight through your weak leg, therefore assisting your weak leg even further.

These tips have helped my clients with MS feel more stable, balanced, and independent – so I know they can do the same for you! 💥

After reading these suggestions, do you have any changes you need to make? Let me know in the comments!

Also…how beautiful is this cane?? 😍

Comment “SPARKLE” below ⬇️ and I’ll DM you the details ✨

06/01/2026

If you have MS: Does heat make you feel worse? Do you sweat even when it’s cold out? 🤔

Heat intolerance and temperature dysregulation get lumped together a lot in MS, but they’re actually two very different things, and knowing the difference can help you manage your symptoms more effectively.

👉 Heat Intolerance = Your core temp rises and makes symptoms worse.

👉 Temperature Dysregulation = Your brain/body can’t appropriately perceive temperature.

One is about how your body reacts to heat, and the other is when your body sends the wrong messages about whether you’re hot or cold. 🔥❄️

If you feel like your MS symptoms spike when it’s hot out, or sometimes sweat when you’re actually cold, this is something to pay attention to.

The better you understand what your body is actually trying to tell you, the better you can respond (and the more information you can give your neurologist at your next appointment!) 🧠

💬 Have you experienced one, both, or neither of these? Comment below!

05/27/2026

If you have MS and ever thought…

“I wasn’t active enough before my MS diagnosis.”
“Did I mess something up years ago?”
“Is it too late to make a difference?”

This is important.

New research presented at the annual MS conference, ACTRIMS, in 2026 found that current exercise habits were associated with lower physical disability in people with MS.

Not past exercise.
Not what you did in high school.
Not whether you were an athlete 10 years ago.

What you’re doing now.

The association was strongest in people with progressive MS.

Now, this study doesn’t prove that exercise directly slows progression.

But it does support something I’ve seen over and over again:

Consistent, symptom-aware movement supports function.

Especially when it’s tailored to MS.

Not random workouts.
Not “”””regular”””” or “”””traditional”””” exercise.
Not pushing through fatigue.
Not ignoring heat sensitivity.

Intentional training.
Functional exercise.
Steady patterns.
Nervous system support through neuroplasticity.

And maybe the most relieving part of this?

Your past doesn’t disqualify you.

What this means for you is your current habits still matter.

You can start from where you are.

That’s why inside The MSing Link, we focus on sustainable, MS-specific routines that meet your symptoms, not fight them.

If you want help building a routine that works with your nervous system instead of against it, comment “ARTICLE” and I’ll send you the details. 🧡

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