Original articleResistance Training Improves Gait Kinematics in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis
Section snippets
Participants
Eight subjects with MS (7 women, 1 man) with Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)15 scores ranging from 2.5 to 5.5 (mean ± standard deviation [SD] age, 46.0±11.5y; height, 1.66±0.08m; mass, 77.0±19.6kg; EDSS score, 3.6±0.8) were recruited and had physician clearance for participation. To be included, subjects were diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS (in remission) by a neurologist and had been participating in light physical activity for the previous 3 months to ensure that subjects were
Results
All subjects completed the 8-week resistance-training program (16 sessions) with no MS-related exacerbations reported. The protocol was occasionally adjusted when subjects missed days between workouts for personal reasons, although adherence remained at 100%. Three subjects reported mild muscle soreness during the first 2 weeks of training, but their symptoms resolved within 2 to 3 days.
For the more-affected limb, subjects significantly decreased the percentage of time spent in stance phase and
Discussion
We hypothesized that lower-limb resistance training in MS subjects would alter gait characteristics to more closely resemble the patterns of persons without neurologic dysfunction. We found significant increases for percentage of stride time in the swing phase, step length, stride length, and foot angle, and significant decreases in percentage of stride time in the stance and double-support phases, duration of the double-support phase, and toe clearance. These changes are more indicative of
Conclusions
This study represents the first attempt to explore the effects of resistance training on gait kinematics in ambulatory subjects with MS. Our results suggest that an 8-week resistance-training program can improve lower-extremity strength and self-reported disability in persons with MS. Our subjects’ gait changed from a more conservative to a less conservative gait, which is closer to normative values and less like the gait characteristics shared by elderly persons prone to falling. Resistance
Acknowledgments
We thank all those who made the study possible, specifically the personal trainers who sacrificed their time to improve the lives of some brave people. We also acknowledge the undergraduate student interns, without whom data collection would not have been possible.
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