High Intensity Interval Gait Training in Multiple Sclerosis

Hunter College of City University of New York

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Multiple Sclerosis

Treatments: Behavioral: High Intensity Interval Gait training; Behavioral: Moderate Intensity Interval gait training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT05560880

2022-0261

Details and patient eligibility

About

Over 90% of persons with MS (pwMS) complain of difficulty with walking. High intensity interval gait training (HIIGT), where persons alternate brief periods of walking at high speeds with periods of rest has been found to improve walking in other neurologic diagnoses. However its impact on pwMS is not known. Most gait training in MS is done continuously at a slower pace. The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of HIIGT to traditional Moderate Intensity Continuous Gait Training (MICGT) in pwMS.

Full description

Purpose: To determine whether pwMS will have greater improvements in gait with HIIGT as compared to MICGT.

Primary Question: Does HIIGT results in greater improvements in gait parameters in pwMS than MICGT? Secondary question: Will HIIGT result in greater improvements in balance, lower extremity strength, lower extremity range of motion and HR when compared to MICGT in pwMS?

Hypothesis: HIIGT will result in greater improvements in gait parameters in pwMS than MICGT.

Justification: Previous research has shown that MICGT, moderate intensity interval training and high intensity non-gait interval training is effective in pwMS. HIIGT has been shown to be effective in persons with stroke but the effects of HIIGT on pwMS are not known.

Outcomes and dissemination of information: We will present our findings at national conferences and submit manuscripts of our findings to the appropriate peer reviewed journal.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Persons diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
• The ability to walk for 6 minutes continuously with or without assistive device.
• The ability to read, understand and sign a consent form so that they are able to understand the study we are doing
• Above the age of 18

Exclusion criteria

• Any cardiopulmonary, orthopedic, or non-MS neurologic disease as we are only examining the effects of MS and need to rule out the impact of other conditions
• Report of a recent exacerbation. Rationale: the impact of the rationale can interfere with the impact of the independent variables

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 2 patient groups

High Intensity Interval gait training

Experimental group

Description:

subjects will receive 3x/week high intensity interval training for 20 minutes over a 4 week period

Treatment:

Behavioral: High Intensity Interval Gait training

Moderate intensity continuous gait training

Active Comparator group

Description:

subjects will receive 3x/week moderate intensity continuous gait training for 20 minutes over a 4 week period

Treatment:

Behavioral: Moderate Intensity Interval gait training