Motor, Cognitive, Psychological, and Neural Predictors of Concern About Falling in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis.
Taylor N Takla, Patrick G Monaghan, Maryam M Abbawi and 4 others
PMID 41693088WHAT IT FOUND
Concern about falling in 43 people with mild relapsing-remitting MS was linked to disease severity, activity avoidance, physical fatigue, and slower backward walking.
MRI brain volumes did not explain concern after disease severity was considered.
Key findings
01Greater concern about falling was associated with worse motor performance, slower processing speed, and greater activity avoidance, with all correlation values at least 0.5 in absolute value.
02After controlling for disease severity, greater physical fatigue and slower backward walking speed predicted greater concern about falling.
03Hippocampal and cerebellar volumes did not predict concern about falling after disease severity was controlled.
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 measured everything at one time point, so it cannot say whether these factors cause concern about falling or result from it. The sample was small and convenience recruited, with 43 analysed and only 31 usable MRI scans, which limits power and generalizability. All participants had relapsing-remitting MS and mild disability, so results may not apply to progressive MS or greater walking limitation. Many statistical tests were conducted, so some findings could be false positives despite correction. Only hippocampus and cerebellum volumes were examined, so other brain regions were not ruled out.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating fatigue, avoidance, or backward walking will reduce concern about falling. This study measured these factors at one time point in 43 people with mild relapsing-remitting MS, and no intervention was tested.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →