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Do Patients With Multiple Sclerosis Show Different Daily Physical Activity Patterns From Healthy Individuals?
Marc B Rietberg1, Erwin E H van Wegen2, Boudewijn J Kollen3
1Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, MOVE Research Institute Amsterdam, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands m.rietberg@vumc.nl.
Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair
|February 12, 2014
Summary
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) exhibit significantly less dynamic physical activity daily compared to healthy individuals. This reduced activity pattern, observed from morning through evening, may indicate a deliberate strategy to conserve energy.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Rehabilitation Science
- Human Movement Science
Background:
- Reduced physical activity is a common consequence of multiple sclerosis (MS).
- Limited understanding exists regarding the daily activity quantity and types in the home environment for individuals with MS.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the amount and patterns of physical activity over 24 hours in the community environment between patients with MS and healthy individuals.
- To investigate differences in daily physical activity patterns between MS patients and controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized ambulatory activity monitors to record physical activity in 43 ambulatory MS patients and 26 healthy controls.
- Classified recorded activities into postures and motions.
- Employed multilevel analyses to assess group-dependent activity patterns across morning, afternoon, and evening periods.
Main Results:
- Patients with MS demonstrated significantly lower overall dynamic activity compared to healthy controls (P < .001).
- MS patients exhibited lower physical activity levels starting in the morning (P < .001), with this difference sustained in the afternoon (P = .002) and evening (P = .032).
Conclusions:
- Activity monitoring provides valuable insights into real-world daily physical behavior.
- Findings suggest a potential anticipatory strategy of reduced morning activity in MS patients, persisting throughout the day.
- Future research should integrate energy levels and fatigue measures to understand symptom-activity interactions in MS.
