Study of Alternative Exercise Therapies for Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Summary

This project will evaluate a new therapy for patients with a severe form of MS known as progressive MS. These patients are severely limited in their ability to walk and function in everyday life. The exercise therapy we are proposing is a recumbent cross trainer which allows patients to be seated and move their arms and legs at the same time against resistive foot pedals and arm levers. The recumbent cross trainer is safe and easy to use for people with disabilities and is more cost-effective compared with other rehabilitation equipment. Before the recumbent trainer can become part of mainstream MS therapy, it is important to determine if it is as effective as other exercise therapies in improving functional performance and quality of life. In this study we will compare the effects of the recumbent cross training with supported treadmill walking on functional and psychological outcomes. Further, since this is a new therapy for progressive MS patients, we also want to determine if it is safe and enjoyable to use.

We hypothesize that recumbent stepper training will be safe and well-tolerated by progressive MS patients. Both training interventions will be beneficial in improving walking function and psychosocial outcomes. Recumbent stepper straining will likely have greater effects on upper extremity function, while supported treadmill walking will have greater effects on lower extremity function.

Conditions

• Multiple Sclerosis

Interventions

OTHER

Body-weight supported treadmill training

Patients will undergo training using the Woodway Loco-system which consists of a treadmill with an overhead pulley system connected to a support harness. BWSTT allows patients with limited mobility to safely walk upright on a treadmill with a portion of their body weight counter balanced. Three trainers will be required to assist with the BWSTT program. Two trainers will be positioned at the lower limbs to manually guide the participant through a proper gait motion and provided lower limb control. A third trainer will stand behind the participant to provide trunk support and assist with weight shifting.

OTHER

Total body recumbent stepper training

Patients will train using the Nustep T4 (TRS 4000) which is a recumbent cross trainer that provides a full body workout in a seated position. The Nustep trainer allows patients to achieve a natural stepping motion against graded loads with bilateral reciprocal movement of the arms. Recumbent training is safe and easily accessible for patients of all ability levels with a swivel chair to aid in patient transfers. Foot straps, leg stabilizers and hand stabilizers may be used for added control and proper body alignment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Hicks, Audrey, Ph.D.

  lead INDIV

Principal Investigators

• Audrey Hicks, PhD · McMaster University

• Lara Pilutti · McMaster University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

60 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2010-04-30

Primary Completion

2011-06-30

Completion

2011-08-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations