Intensive Circuit Class Therapy in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.
Jan Kocica, Jan Kolcava, Michaela Sladeckova and 5 others
PMID 35174869WHAT IT FOUND
12 weeks of supervised circuit training improved balance, walking, fatigue, and mood in 23 people with relapsing-remitting MS.
The control group showed no change. This suggests group physiotherapy is a viable option for mild-to-moderate disability.
Key findings
01Patients receiving intensive circuit class therapy showed significant improvements in the Timed Up and Go test and the Four-Stage Balance Test compared to baseline, while the control group did not.
02The intervention group reported significant reductions in fatigue and depression scores, and improvements in walking ability and quality of life, whereas the control group showed no significant changes in these areas.
03There was no significant change in the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) for either group during the 12-week period.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size was relatively small (46 patients). The study did not blind participants or assessors to the group allocation, which could influence self-reported outcomes. The control group received no intervention, so the effects cannot be distinguished from the benefits of social interaction or increased attention. The study population had mild-to-moderate disability (EDSS ≤ 4.0), so results may not generalize to patients with more severe mobility impairment.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of change in the EDSS as a failure of the therapy. The EDSS is a coarse measure of disability that may not capture the specific improvements in balance, fatigue, and mood that patients experienced and that were detected by more sensitive functional tests and questionnaires.