How Does Strength Training and Balance Training Affect Gait Function and Fatigue in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis?

NCT ID: NCT02870023

Last Updated: 2019-02-19

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

71 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2016-06-30

Study Completion Date

2018-12-31

Brief Summary

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Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by decreased strength and motor control, and compromised gait function. Reduced walking speed, balance, and fatigue are the cardinal symptoms. In rehabilitation, strength and balance training are commonly used. There is increasing scientific support of strength training for improving walking function. The evidence for balance training remains flawed. It is known that neurological damage in MS leads to increased cognitive processing in the planning of movements, which predisposes fatigue. Since fatigue is also associated with impaired balance, it can be hypothesized that motoric/balance training with an emphasis on cognitive load can affect gait and fatigue.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to determine whether there is a differentiated effect between strength and balance training measured by motor function, strength, balance, and fatigue.

Detailed Description

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People with MS experience a wide variety of symptoms including impaired muscle strength and balance, fatigue, impaired cognition, depression and spasticity. Of these, impaired balance and severe fatigue are described as two of the most debilitating symptoms leading to limitations in activities such as upright posture and gait. Generally, pharmacological symptomatic treatment has not proven efficient in the treatment of balance problems, fatigue and walking impairments, with the exception that Fampridine has beneficial effects on gait performance in a subgroup of patients. Consequently, non-pharmacological interventions that effectively target these symptoms are warranted.

In the last decade progressive resistance training (PRT) has proven to be one of the promising interventions in patients with MS showing a consistent and positive effect on muscle strength. However, the effect of PRT on functional outcomes are heterogeneous but with promising effects on daily activities such as walking and chair rise. The evidence for a beneficial effect of PRT on balance and postural control is divergent and yet inadequately investigated. Regarding fatigue, a recent Cochrane review reported that one could expect improvements in MS fatigue after exercise interventions, despite methodological flaws in the existing literature, but only few studies evaluating PRT were located.

Another promising intervention is task specific training of motor function that is widely used by physiotherapists in neurorehabilitation. In this study protocol, motor function is limited to gait related functions with a particular focus put on balance and motor control, why the term Balance and Motor Control Training (BMCT) is applied. There is no universally accepted definition of human balance, but balance defined as "the inherent ability of a person to maintain, achieve or restore a specific state of balance and not to fall, with reference to the motor and sensory systems and to the physical properties of the person", is applied in this study.

Effects obtained from BMCT partly result from plastic changes in the nervous system. To induce such effects, repetition of a simple task only has limited efficiency in order to improve performance. Once a task has been learned to a certain level, further practice of the same task will not be accompanied by further induction of plasticity and little is therefore gained by continued practice of the task. To provide challenges that ensures continued learning, training exercises have to progress from simple movement trajectories to more complex movements, that also incorporates goal setting. Moreover, it has been shown that shaping and variation of tasks in combination with feedback on movement quality is of great importance for the learning outcome. The underlying concept for performing BMCT is, therefore, that improved motor control will optimize the movement strategy, which further leads to improved gait function.

Regarding the effects of BMCT on fatigue, there are diverging results in the literature, but the literature on BMCT for patients with MS is generally of low quality with an inadequate description of interventions, why further studies are warranted.

Interestingly, the principles of task specific training do fundamentally contrast the principles of PRT, that normally consist of monotonous movement patterns performed under heavy loading for a low number of repetitions. Consequently, studies comparing the effects of BMCT and PRT on gait function would add to the current literature as no studies doing so could be located. Such a comparison would help clarify whether potential effects are overlapping or differentiated and would therefore help guiding future rehabilitation interventions in persons with MS.

The primary objective of this study is, therefore, to investigate and compare the effects of 10 weeks of PRT to BMCT on gait function, balance and fatigue in mobility limited persons with MS.

It is hypothesized that PRT will be superior in improving maximal straight gait speed, whereas BMCT will have a greater impact on balance, fatigue, and more complex walking tasks that include elements of balance and coordination.

Conditions

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Multiple Sclerosis

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

FACTORIAL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Investigators

Study Groups

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Balance training

All sessions will start with a ten minute warm-up on either a treadmill or a cycle.

The balance intervention will be conducted in stations/domains where balance is challenged in the five different functions: standing, walking, sit to stand, stepping, and a station that exercises vestibular and gaze control.

Progression is achieved by adding exercises with increased balance requirements and by adding additional motoric and cognitive tasks to the exercises-dual-tasking.

Intensity of the exercises is defined from an error-rate where an adequate level is 20-40 percent.

The intervention is conducted according to a standardized framework that describes examples of exercises and progressions.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Balance training

Intervention Type OTHER

Strength training

All sessions will start with a ten minute warm-up on a stationary bicycle, followed by strength training of primary muscle synergies in the lower extremities. All exercises will be performed on machines with patients sitting or lying, adequately supported. The exercises are leg press, knee extension, hip flexion, hamstring curl, and hip extension. Exercises are performed with a fast concentric phase and a slow eccentric phase..

Set, repetition, and load:

* Weeks 1 and 2, 3 sets of 10 repetitions at a load of 15 repetitions maximum (RM)
* Weeks 3 and 4, 3 sets of 12 repetitions at a load of 12RM
* Weeks 5 and 6, 4 sets of 12 repetitions at a load of 12RM
* Weeks 7 and 8, 4 sets of 10 repetitions at a load of 10RM
* Weeks 9 and 10, 4 sets of 8 repetitions at a load of 8RM.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Strength training

Intervention Type OTHER

Control group

On a waitlist. After ten weeks of waiting, and intervention that contains 50 percent strength training and 50 percent balance training begins.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Balance training

Intervention Type OTHER

Strength training

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
* Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 2.0-6.5 and min. 2.0 in the functional system "pyramidal function".
* Able to walk 100 m.
* Able to manage own transportation in relation to weekly training and tests.
* Six spot step test score \> 8 sec. or Timed 25 foot walk \> 5 sec.

Exclusion Criteria

* Co-morbidity in terms of dementia and alcohol abuse.
* Attack within the last eight weeks.
* Systematic intensive rehabilitation/training within the last three months.
* Adjustment of medication within two months before inclusion. This applies only for medication that affects gait performance and spasticity.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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VIA University College

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

TrygFonden, Denmark

INDUSTRY

Sponsor Role collaborator

Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Aarhus

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Jacob Callesen, PT, MHSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Aarhus

Locations

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Department of Public Health - Sport Science

Aarhus, , Denmark

Site Status

Countries

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Denmark

References

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Boes MK, Sosnoff JJ, Socie MJ, Sandroff BM, Pula JH, Motl RW. Postural control in multiple sclerosis: effects of disability status and dual task. J Neurol Sci. 2012 Apr 15;315(1-2):44-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2011.12.006. Epub 2012 Jan 10.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22236888 (View on PubMed)

Claros-Salinas D, Dittmer N, Neumann M, Sehle A, Spiteri S, Willmes K, Schoenfeld MA, Dettmers C. Induction of cognitive fatigue in MS patients through cognitive and physical load. Neuropsychol Rehabil. 2013;23(2):182-201. doi: 10.1080/09602011.2012.726925. Epub 2012 Nov 16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23153337 (View on PubMed)

Penner IK, Bechtel N, Raselli C, Stocklin M, Opwis K, Kappos L, Calabrese P. Fatigue in multiple sclerosis: relation to depression, physical impairment, personality and action control. Mult Scler. 2007 Nov;13(9):1161-7. doi: 10.1177/1352458507079267.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17967844 (View on PubMed)

Andreasen AK, Stenager E, Dalgas U. The effect of exercise therapy on fatigue in multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler. 2011 Sep;17(9):1041-54. doi: 10.1177/1352458511401120. Epub 2011 Apr 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21467189 (View on PubMed)

Corporaal SH, Gensicke H, Kuhle J, Kappos L, Allum JH, Yaldizli O. Balance control in multiple sclerosis: correlations of trunk sway during stance and gait tests with disease severity. Gait Posture. 2013 Jan;37(1):55-60. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012.05.025. Epub 2012 Aug 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22874664 (View on PubMed)

Kelleher KJ, Spence W, Solomonidis S, Apatsidis D. The characterisation of gait patterns of people with multiple sclerosis. Disabil Rehabil. 2010;32(15):1242-50. doi: 10.3109/09638280903464497.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20156050 (View on PubMed)

Hebert JR, Corboy JR. The association between multiple sclerosis-related fatigue and balance as a function of central sensory integration. Gait Posture. 2013 May;38(1):37-42. doi: 10.1016/j.gaitpost.2012.10.015. Epub 2012 Nov 28.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23200463 (View on PubMed)

Motl RW, Pilutti LA. The benefits of exercise training in multiple sclerosis. Nat Rev Neurol. 2012 Sep;8(9):487-97. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2012.136. Epub 2012 Jul 24.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22825702 (View on PubMed)

Dalgas U, Stenager E, Jakobsen J, Petersen T, Hansen HJ, Knudsen C, Overgaard K, Ingemann-Hansen T. Resistance training improves muscle strength and functional capacity in multiple sclerosis. Neurology. 2009 Nov 3;73(18):1478-84. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3181bf98b4.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19884575 (View on PubMed)

Huisinga JM, Filipi ML, Stergiou N. Supervised resistance training results in changes in postural control in patients with multiple sclerosis. Motor Control. 2012 Jan;16(1):50-63. doi: 10.1123/mcj.16.1.50.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22402220 (View on PubMed)

Cattaneo D, Jonsdottir J, Zocchi M, Regola A. Effects of balance exercises on people with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study. Clin Rehabil. 2007 Sep;21(9):771-81. doi: 10.1177/0269215507077602.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 17875557 (View on PubMed)

Paltamaa J, Sjogren T, Peurala SH, Heinonen A. Effects of physiotherapy interventions on balance in multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Rehabil Med. 2012 Oct;44(10):811-23. doi: 10.2340/16501977-1047.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 22990349 (View on PubMed)

Callesen J, Cattaneo D, Brincks J, Dalgas U. How does strength training and balance training affect gait and fatigue in patients with Multiple Sclerosis? A study protocol of a randomized controlled trial. NeuroRehabilitation. 2018;42(2):131-142. doi: 10.3233/NRE-172238.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 29562556 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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14695664

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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