The following is a summary of “Effects of walking interventions in persons with multiple sclerosis—A systematic review,” published in the February 2024 issue of Neurology by Boková et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study examining how voluntary walking programs influence people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).
They enrolled diagnosed pwMS and assessed interventions focused on walking, lasting 2 weeks or more. Additionally, at least one walking-related outcome was examined. Both RCTs and non-controlled studies were included. Data extraction utilized a customized spreadsheet detailing patient characteristics, interventions, outcomes, and results. Effect sizes (ES) were calculated using Hedge’s g to measure the impact of walking interventions. The TESTEX tool assessed the quality of the studies’ methods and reporting.
The results showed data from 200 pwMS in seven RCTs (three used within-group data) and five single-group studies. Attendance was high (91.7% ± 9.9%) with low dropout rates (8.7% ± 10.5%) and few adverse events. Walking interventions improved walking performance in short (effect sizes -0.21 to -0.72) and long-distance tests (effect sizes 0.27 to 0.72).
Investigators concluded that voluntary walking programs were safe and beneficial for improving walking ability in people with MS, but more extensive studies are needed to confirm these positive results.
Source: msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(24)00090-7/abstract
