Body Weight Supported Treadmill Training in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Status and phase: Completed; Phase 2; Phase 1

Conditions: Multiple Sclerosis

Treatments: Behavioral: Exercise group

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01992679

NMSS-IL-011

Details and patient eligibility

About

There is growing evidence that exercise-based rehabilitation results in improvements in mobility and participation in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the vast majority of the scientific evidence in support of this view is based on persons with MS who have minimal mobility impairment. This is partially due to the lack of accessible exercise equipment and facilities available to persons with severe mobility limitations.

One option available to persons with severe mobility limitations is body weight supported treadmill training. Indeed, this rehabilitation approach has been utilized with some success in various clinical populations, such as stroke and spinal cord injury, and is believed to target neuroplasticity. Specific to persons with MS, body weight supported treadmill training has shown great promise in improving quality of life, symptoms and functional mobility in two small (n=4 and n=6) pilot investigations. However, previous research has been hampered by methodological limitations including small sample size, lack of a control group and limited training sessions. Consequently, no firm conclusion regarding the benefit of body weighted supported treadmill training in persons with MS can be drawn. The proposed project seeks to determine if twenty-weeks of body weight supported treadmill training leads to improvements in physiological function, mobility and quality of life in persons with MS with severe mobility limitations. The outcomes of this project have the potential to lead to new rehabilitation approaches capable of improving function and quality of life in persons with advanced MS.

Full description

One option available to persons with severe mobility limitations is body weight supported treadmill training. Indeed, this rehabilitation approach has been utilized with some success in various clinical populations, such as stroke and spinal cord injury, and is believed to target neuroplasticity. Specific to persons with MS, body weight supported treadmill training has shown great promise in improving quality of life, symptoms and functional mobility in two small (n=4 and n=6) pilot investigations. However, previous research has been hampered by methodological limitations including small sample size, lack of a control group and limited training sessions. Consequently, no firm conclusion regarding the benefit of body weighted supported treadmill training in persons with MS can be drawn. The proposed project seeks to determine if twenty-weeks of body weight supported treadmill training leads to improvements in physiological function, mobility and quality of life in persons with MS with severe mobility limitations. The outcomes of this project have the potential to lead to new rehabilitation approaches capable of improving function and quality of life in persons with advanced MS.

Enrollment: 24 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 55 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• The criteria for inclusion are physician confirmed MS diagnosis, relapse free in the last 30 days, ability to voluntarily contract either quadriceps (e.g. extend their knee), willingness to complete 20 week intervention, and physician approval to engage in manual BWSTT. The diagnosis of MS based on either Poser's or McDonald's criteria and its type based on Lublin and Reingold criteria will be confirmed by the patient's neurologist using a standard form letter.

Exclusion criteria

• The criteria for exclusion are having a relapse in the last 30 days, inability to contract the quadriceps, and unwilling to complete the 20 week intervention.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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24 participants in 2 patient groups

Control

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in the control group will undergo the same assessments but receive no exercise stimulus and be asked to maintain current physical levels

Exercise group

Experimental group

Description:

The exercise program will consist of biweekly training sessions for 20 weeks. Per neurorecovery network guidelines, each training session will include a minimum of 20 minutes of locomotor training and 20 minutes of balance training.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Exercise group