Balance Changes in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study Comparing the Dynamics of the Relapse and Remitting Phases
Aims: To compare balance changes over time during the relapse phase of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with balance control during the remitting phase.Methods: Balance control during stance and gait tasks of 24 remitting-phase patients (mean age 43.7 ± 10.5, 15 women, mean EDSS at base...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2018-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2018.00686/full |
| _version_ | 1819238862230126592 |
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| author | Oliver Findling Oliver Findling Heiko Rust Heiko Rust Özgür Yaldizli Dionne P. H. Timmermans Dionne P. H. Timmermans Alja Scheltinga Alja Scheltinga John H. J. Allum John H. J. Allum |
| author_facet | Oliver Findling Oliver Findling Heiko Rust Heiko Rust Özgür Yaldizli Dionne P. H. Timmermans Dionne P. H. Timmermans Alja Scheltinga Alja Scheltinga John H. J. Allum John H. J. Allum |
| author_sort | Oliver Findling |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aims: To compare balance changes over time during the relapse phase of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with balance control during the remitting phase.Methods: Balance control during stance and gait tasks of 24 remitting-phase patients (mean age 43.7 ± 10.5, 15 women, mean EDSS at baseline 2.45 ± 1.01) was examined every 3 months over 9 months and compared to that of nine relapsing patients (age 42.0 ± 12.7, all women, mean EDSS at relapse onset 3.11 ± 0.96) examined at relapse onset and 3 months later. Balance was also compared to that of 40 healthy controls (HCs) (age 39.7 ± 12.6, 25 women). Balance control was measured as lower-trunk sway angles with body-worn gyroscopes. Expanded Disability Status Scale scores (EDSS) were used to monitor, clinically, disease progression.Results: Remitting-phase patients showed more unstable stance balance control than HCs (p < 0.04) with no worsening over the observation period of 9 months. Gait balance control was normal (p > 0.06). Relapsing patients had stance balance control significantly worse at onset compared to remitting-phase patients and HCs (p < 0.04). Gait tasks showed a significant decrease of gait speed and trunk sway in relapsing patients (p = 0.018) compatible with having increased gait instability at normal speeds. Improvement to levels of remitting patients generally took longer than 3 months. Balance and EDSS scores were correlated for remitting but not for relapse patients.Conclusions: Balance in remitting RRMS patients does not change significantly over 9 months and correlated well with EDSS scores. Our results indicate that balance control is a useful measure to assess recovery after a relapse, particularly in patients with unchanged EDSS scores. Based on our results, balance could be considered as additional measurement to assess recovery after a relapse, particularly in patients with unchanged EDSS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-23T13:42:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c00c5c5bd8fd48189ef601c486647050 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-23T13:42:58Z |
| publishDate | 2018-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj.art-c00c5c5bd8fd48189ef601c4866470502022-12-21T17:44:48ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952018-08-01910.3389/fneur.2018.00686363477Balance Changes in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study Comparing the Dynamics of the Relapse and Remitting PhasesOliver Findling0Oliver Findling1Heiko Rust2Heiko Rust3Özgür Yaldizli4Dionne P. H. Timmermans5Dionne P. H. Timmermans6Alja Scheltinga7Alja Scheltinga8John H. J. Allum9John H. J. Allum10Department of Neurology, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandDepartment of Neurology, Cantonal Hospital Aarau, Aarau, SwitzerlandDepartment of Neurology, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandDivision of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, Charing Cross Hospital, London, United KingdomDepartment of Neurology, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandRadboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, NetherlandsDivision of Audiology and Neurootology, Department of ORL, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandRadboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen, NetherlandsDivision of Audiology and Neurootology, Department of ORL, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandDepartment of Neurology, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandDivision of Audiology and Neurootology, Department of ORL, University of Basel Hospital, Basel, SwitzerlandAims: To compare balance changes over time during the relapse phase of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) with balance control during the remitting phase.Methods: Balance control during stance and gait tasks of 24 remitting-phase patients (mean age 43.7 ± 10.5, 15 women, mean EDSS at baseline 2.45 ± 1.01) was examined every 3 months over 9 months and compared to that of nine relapsing patients (age 42.0 ± 12.7, all women, mean EDSS at relapse onset 3.11 ± 0.96) examined at relapse onset and 3 months later. Balance was also compared to that of 40 healthy controls (HCs) (age 39.7 ± 12.6, 25 women). Balance control was measured as lower-trunk sway angles with body-worn gyroscopes. Expanded Disability Status Scale scores (EDSS) were used to monitor, clinically, disease progression.Results: Remitting-phase patients showed more unstable stance balance control than HCs (p < 0.04) with no worsening over the observation period of 9 months. Gait balance control was normal (p > 0.06). Relapsing patients had stance balance control significantly worse at onset compared to remitting-phase patients and HCs (p < 0.04). Gait tasks showed a significant decrease of gait speed and trunk sway in relapsing patients (p = 0.018) compatible with having increased gait instability at normal speeds. Improvement to levels of remitting patients generally took longer than 3 months. Balance and EDSS scores were correlated for remitting but not for relapse patients.Conclusions: Balance in remitting RRMS patients does not change significantly over 9 months and correlated well with EDSS scores. Our results indicate that balance control is a useful measure to assess recovery after a relapse, particularly in patients with unchanged EDSS scores. Based on our results, balance could be considered as additional measurement to assess recovery after a relapse, particularly in patients with unchanged EDSS.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2018.00686/fullmultiple sclerosisbalance controltrunk swayrelapse-phase multiple sclerosisremitting-phase multiple sclerosisEDSS scores |
| spellingShingle | Oliver Findling Oliver Findling Heiko Rust Heiko Rust Özgür Yaldizli Dionne P. H. Timmermans Dionne P. H. Timmermans Alja Scheltinga Alja Scheltinga John H. J. Allum John H. J. Allum Balance Changes in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study Comparing the Dynamics of the Relapse and Remitting Phases Frontiers in Neurology multiple sclerosis balance control trunk sway relapse-phase multiple sclerosis remitting-phase multiple sclerosis EDSS scores |
| title | Balance Changes in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study Comparing the Dynamics of the Relapse and Remitting Phases |
| title_full | Balance Changes in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study Comparing the Dynamics of the Relapse and Remitting Phases |
| title_fullStr | Balance Changes in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study Comparing the Dynamics of the Relapse and Remitting Phases |
| title_full_unstemmed | Balance Changes in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study Comparing the Dynamics of the Relapse and Remitting Phases |
| title_short | Balance Changes in Patients With Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: A Pilot Study Comparing the Dynamics of the Relapse and Remitting Phases |
| title_sort | balance changes in patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis a pilot study comparing the dynamics of the relapse and remitting phases |
| topic | multiple sclerosis balance control trunk sway relapse-phase multiple sclerosis remitting-phase multiple sclerosis EDSS scores |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fneur.2018.00686/full |
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