Trunk Rehabilitation Compared to Core Stability in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Treatment tested

• Trunk Rehabilitation

Compared with

• Core Stability

Other measures (5)

Inclusion Criteria: * Clinically diagnosed with MS (McDonald's criteria) * Able to walk 5 meters without assistance. * No relapse in the past 2 months. Exclusion Criteria: * Recent surgery. * Cognitive or psychological dysfunctions. * Diagnosis of any other systematic disease.

BACKGROUND Balance, gait, community mobility, and risk of falls are often associated with trunk impairment among people with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS). Consequently, there is a pressing need for interventions addressing these concerns and exploring the potential effects of trunk rehabilitation. LONG-TERM GOAL Offering guidance for effective plan selection, potentially included in rehabilitation guidelines for PwMS. HYPOTHESIS Trunk exercises performed in multiplanar movement on unstable surfaces incorporated with dual-tasks (DT) could improve the functional outcomes more than standard one-plane core stability exercises. SPECIFIC AIMS Investigating the effectiveness of trunk rehabilitation in PwMS and determining the optimal intervention strategy. METHODS 50 PwMS randomly assigned into two groups. Trunk Group received trunk exercises on unstable surfaces with DT training, while the Core Group underwent standard one-plane core stability exercises on stable surfaces without DT. Additionally, both received conventional treatment. Primary outcome was the trunk impairment scale (TIS). Secondary outcomes included the Berg balance scale (BBS), Timed Up and Go (TUG), Modified Falls Efficacy (FES), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI). SIGNIFICANCE Enhancing our understanding of trunk exercises' benefits and providing valuable guidance to clinicians for choosing the optimal treatment plan.