A group-delivered self-management program reduces spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis: A randomized,...

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Quality of Life Studies

Background:

• Spasticity impacts over 80% of individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), significantly affecting daily activities and overall quality of life.
• An evidence-based group education and stretching program, MS Spasticity: Take Control (STC), was developed based on international guidelines to address MS-related spasticity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the STC program combined with home stretching for managing multiple sclerosis spasticity.
• To compare the outcomes of STC with usual care (UC), which includes a stretching booklet but lacks group support.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving ambulatory MS patients experiencing spasticity that interfered with daily life.
• Participants were assigned to either the STC group or the usual care group, completing baseline and follow-up assessments including questionnaires and physical measures.

Main Results:

• The STC group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in the total score and two subscales of the MS Spasticity Scale-88 compared to the UC group (p < 0.03).
• While the Modified Ashworth Scale showed no significant changes, the STC group experienced statistically and clinically significant improvements in the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the physical component of the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale-29.
• No significant changes were observed in the Modified Ashworth Scale for either group.

Conclusions:

• The STC program, incorporating group education and stretching, effectively improved the self-reported impact of spasticity in individuals with MS.
• Participation in STC yielded encouraging positive effects on fatigue, depression, and overall quality of life beyond spasticity management.