Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the most common chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. It can lead to physical disability, cognitive impairment, and generally decreased quality of life [1]. While there are many symptoms associated with MS, fatigue may be the most debilitating, resulting in impairment of activities of daily living or loss of employment [2]. Other common symptoms are paresis, spasticity, and increased energy cost during walking, leading to diminished walking ability and walking speed [3, 4].
The efficacy of recoveriX was shown in a group of 25 people with MS. The following clinical outcome measures were utilized:
6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) was the primary outcome measure of the study as it is the most common clinical scale in MS literature due to having high reproducibility and reliability [4]. The 6MWT measures the distance in meters a client is able to walk at a comfortable speed within six minutes.
Timed Up & Go (TUG) assesses functional mobility by measuring the time, in seconds, it takes a client to get up from a chair, walk 3 meters, turn around and sit down again. The TUG test is known to be valid and reliable for assessing people with MS [5,6].
Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW) assesses walking speed by measuring the time, in seconds, it takes a client to walk 25 feet (i.e., 7.62 m). It is a reliable and recommended scale for assessing people with MS [7,8].
Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) assesses spasticity in both ankle and knee joints with higher value reflecting greater spasticity. Here the scores from all four joints were summed up to one total MAS score.
Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS-29) is a questionnaire quantifying the physical and psychological impact of MS, with lower values reflecting less impairment. The MSIS-29 is reliable and recommended to be used as a clinical scale [9].
Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) is a questionnaire quantifying the impact of fatigue on clients’ daily life which was shown to be reliable [10, 11].
The table below shows the baseline characteristics of the study population, with 19 of them being female. This relatively high percentage of female study participants is to be expected as women are roughly 3 times more likely to be diagnosed with MS [1].
Median | Range | |
Age (years) | 54.2 | 34.7 to 73.5 |
Time Since Diagnosis (years) | 17.7 | 1.2 to 42.0 |
6MWT (meters) | 210 | 37 to 545 |
After training with recoveriX for 30 training sessions, clients improved highly significantly in their 6MWT performance. Specifically, they were able to walk 39.4 meters farther after the treatment in comparison to before. For reference, the minimally important change in 6MWT performance that people with MS perceive as important is 19.7 meters [12, 13]. In other words, this minimally important change was exceeded by double the amount. In percentages clients improved in their walking ability by 19% on average.
The table and figure below show the numerical change (i.e., after – before) and percentage improvement for the secondary clinical outcome measures, which all reflected significant improvements. Clients improved in their functional mobility and walking speed, as well as spasticity. Additionally, they reported to be less affected by MS in ADLs and even less fatigued.
Clinical Scales | Mean Change (After – Before) | Improvement |
TUG | -4.5 seconds | 24% |
T25FW | -3.2 seconds | 32% |
MAS | -0.61 points | 22% |
MSIS-29 | -11.3 points | 15% |
MFIS | -7.6 points | 19% |
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