High-Intensity, Dynamic-stability Gait Training in People With Multiple Sclerosis

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to improve walking speed, balance, and walking in the community for people with multiple sclerosis. This trial involves intense exercise combined with walking on a shaky treadmill. Walking on a shaky treadmill helps to practice balance and intense exercise promotes the ability to walk faster and farther. In this study, participants will train with a combination of high or low intensity, and with a stable or shaky treadmill. Walking speed and endurance, balance while walking and the number of steps taken in the community will be measured before, half way through the training (15 sessions), after training (30 sessions) and six months after training.

Conditions

• Multiple Sclerosis

Interventions

PROCEDURE

High-Intensity Treadmill Training

Participants will walk on a treadmill at a speed that produces 70-80% of age-adjusted heart rate reserve or a rating of perceived exertion of 17/20. A total of 30, one hour sessions will be conducted. Training will be conducted in 10 minute bouts, with 2-3 minutes rest between bouts.

PROCEDURE

Treadmill Training with Perturbations

Participants will walk on a treadmill and a perturbation of the treadmill will be produced every 20s. Perturbations will randomly occur in the forward, backward, right or left directions, with a perturbation size set to 80% of stability threshold. A total of 30, one hour sessions will be conducted. Training will be conducted in 10 minute bouts with 2-3 minutes rest between bouts.

PROCEDURE

Standard Treadmill Training

Participants will walk on a treadmill at a speed that produces 30-40% of age-adjusted heart rate reserve. A total of 30, one hour sessions will be conducted. Training will be conducted in 10 minute bouts, with 2-3 minutes rest between bouts.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Indiana University

  collaborator OTHER

• Medical College of Wisconsin

  collaborator OTHER

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

  collaborator NIH

• Marquette University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Brian D Schmit, PhD · Marquette University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

FACTORIAL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

75 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2023-01-01

Primary Completion

2027-06-30

Completion

2027-06-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations