Falls are a serious health concern for persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Over 50% of persons with MS suffer a fall over a 6-month periodwith the majority of falls resulting in medical attention for injuries (i.e., lacerations, bone fractures, & head injuries). The effects of a fall are often compounded as it can lead to activity curtailment, physiological deconditioning, and institutionalization. Despite the importance of falls in persons with MS, the appropriate prevention strategies (i.e. rehabilitation approaches) are not clear. The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether exercise based or educational based interventions are more suited for fall prevention in older adults with MS.
Name: Home-based exercise
Description: exercise to look at balance and lower limb strength record in diaryType: BehavioralHome-based Exercise
Name: Education
Description: sessions to discuss self-management ideas to modify risk of fallingType: BehavioralEducation
Name: Exercise plus Education
Description: combination of exercise sessions with education sessions to modify fall riskType: BehavioralExercise plus education
Description: Physiological fall risk will be determined by the short form of the Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA)(Lord, 2003). The PPA is a standardized test battery which assesses vision (edge contrast sensitivity), lower limb proprioception, strength (knee extension), postural sway, and cognitive function (simple hand reaction time). The outcome of each test will be combined to generate an overall fall risk score
Measure: Physiological Fall Risk Time: 3 MonthsDescription: Specific measures of walking speed, endurance, coordination and self-reported walking function scale will be employed to assess overall mobility of each person. Walking speed was quantified with the Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25W), walking endurance was assessed with the 6-Minute Walk (6MW), and functional mobility was quantified with the Timed Up and Go (TUG) . The Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12) will be used as a self-reported measure of walking impairment.
Measure: Mobility Time: 3 monthsDescription: To assess balance (e.g. postural control), we conducted a clinical assessment To measure balance the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and self-reports of balance confidence will be used. The BBS is a clinical assessment of balance. Scores on the BBS range from 0-56 with higher scores indicating greater balance. The Activities-Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) scale was used as a measure of balance confidence.
Measure: Balance Time: 3 MonthsAllocation: Randomized
Parallel Assignment
There is one SNP
Walking speed was quantified with the Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25W), walking endurance was assessed with the 6-Minute Walk (6MW), and functional mobility was quantified with the Timed Up and Go (TUG) . --- T25W ---