The relationship between sleep quality and gait in people with multiple sclerosis: A pilot study.
Wlla Abedalaziz, Alham Al-Sharman, Aseel Aburub and 5 others
PMID 38577391WHAT IT FOUND
In 41 adults with MS, poorer sleep was linked to gait.
Lower sleep efficiency related to shorter steps, and more awakenings related to slower walking and shorter step time.
Key findings
01Sleep efficiency was positively associated with step length: when sleep efficiency increased, step length increased.
02More awakenings after sleep onset were associated with lower walking speed and shorter step time.
03The significant sleep-gait relationships remained after controlling for age, BMI, disease duration, and use of disease-modifying therapies.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a cross-sectional pilot study, so it cannot show that poor sleep caused walking problems. It included 41 adults with MS who could walk independently, so it may not apply to people with more severe walking difficulty. The study did not measure fatigue, cognitive impairment, or physical activity, which could also influence sleep and gait. Some sleep-gait correlations were not significant, and the significant ones were moderate.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared. Funding support is acknowledged from Jordan University of Science and Technology and the NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre; the funder list also names NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and Elizabeth Casson Trust.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that improving sleep will improve gait. This pilot was cross-sectional and only showed associations; it did not test an intervention.