Association of disease outcomes with physical activity in multiple sclerosis: A cross-sectional study.
Trinh L T Huynh, Stephanie L Silveira, Brenda Jeng and 1 others
PMID 35834207WHAT IT FOUND
In 213 people with MS, less active people had worse walking endurance, more walking limitations, more depression and fatigue, and lower processing speed.
The study did not test treatment.
Key findings
01The insufficiently active and sufficiently active groups differed on walking endurance, Timed Up and Go, and self-reported walking limitations.
02Depression and fatigue were the symptom measures most linked to activity group membership.
03In the final combined analysis, six-minute walk distance, self-reported walking limitations, depression, fatigue, and processing speed best separated the groups.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that disease outcomes cause lower physical activity. Physical activity and several outcome measures were self-reported questionnaires, which can be affected by reporting bias. Wheelchair users were excluded, and the sample had mild-to-moderate disability and a mean disease duration of 12.9 years, so results may not apply to more disabled or newly diagnosed people. Some participants were excluded from analyses because of incomplete data, with missing data above 10% for walking variables. The study was not preregistered, and no a priori power analysis was done. The final combined model accounted for 19% of variation, so most differences between activity groups were not explained by these measured disease outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The supplied text does not state who funded the work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving walking, fatigue, depression, or processing speed will increase physical activity. The study measured associations at one time and cannot show cause.