Falls in people with multiple sclerosis: experiences of 115 fall situations.
Anna Carling, Anette Forsberg, Ylva Nilsagård
PMID 28901164WHAT IT FOUND
People with multiple sclerosis described falls as happening indoors during everyday tasks, often when MS symptoms fluctuated, fatigue or distraction reduced attention.
Walking aids were often involved, sometimes used as usual but not enough support, and sometimes not used as intended.
Key findings
0190 of the 115 reported fall situations happened indoors, most often in the informant's own home.
02Informants reported lack of strength in 56 (48%) of the fall situations and fatigue in 32 (28%) of the fall situations.
03Walking aids were reported as used as usual in 44 (38%) of fall situations, while falls also occurred when the aid was not handled properly (21, 18%), not used correctly (13, 11%), or not used (6, 5%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study relies on self-reported falls and descriptions, and the authors note there is no guarantee that all falls were reported. No direct observation or sensor data was used, so some fall details may be missing. Participants had EDSS scores from 3.5 to 7.5, so the findings may not apply to people with milder or more severe disability. The interviews were conducted by the first author, who has clinical experience, and the interview technique was refined during the process. The study reports experiences and perceived causes, not tested effects of any treatment.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was supported by grants from the Uppsala-Örebro Regional Research Committee, the research committee of Örebro County Council and the Norrbacka-Eugenia Foundation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that walking aids cause falls or that changing them prevents falls. The study describes reported situations and says several factors interacted; it did not test a treatment.