Effect of 8-week Combined Training on Muscle Strength, Balance and Functional Capacity of Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Introduction and Aims: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system that affects motor pathways, leading to muscle weakness and muscle fatigue. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of 8 weeks of combined (resistance and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) training on the muscle strength, the balance and functional capacity in patients with MS.
To this end, thirty-seven male and female subjects with Multiple Sclerosis were randomly-purposefully assigned to the experimental (N=19, Age=34.53±6.51, Weight=67.02±13.14, EDSS=2.55±1.21) and control (N=18, Age=36.78±4.93, Weight=66.92±10.13, EDSS=2.88±0.97) groups. The experimental group received a combined (resistance and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) training program for 8 weeks. In the experimental group, the muscular strength, balance and functional capacity of the subjects were measured before and after the training protocol. The collected data were analyzed using paired sample T-test at α = 0.05 level of significance.
The results of the study showed that there was a significant increase in general strength (P=0.001), upper strength (P=0.001), dominant leg balance (P=0.003), non-dominant leg balance (P=0.001) and gait endurance (P=0.001) factors, while there was observed no increase in the gait speed factor (P=0.12).
Based on the findings of the present study, a period of combined training produced a significant increase of strength, balance and distance of walking. Therefore, it is suggested that this type of training be considered as a part of the intervention in the rehabilitation program to improve the physical condition of the patients.