Comparison of gait parameters and chronic lower body pain in people with multiple sclerosis

Gait abnormalities are common in people with Multiple Sclerosis (pwMS). The relation between chronic pain in the lower body (CPLB) and gait impairment in Multiple Sclerosis is not clear.

To compare gait parameters between pwMS with and without CPLB.

Forty pwMS (aged 54.3 y ± 7.7, 82.5 % women) took part in this crosssectional investigation. The revised Michigan Body Map was used to determine if the participants had CPLB. Participants were allocated to groups based on the presence of chronic pain in the lower body. Participants completed a standardized walk over a pressure-sensitive walkway (8 m), which was used to evaluate spatiotemporal gait parameters.

Twenty-three and 17 pwMS were classified as having or not having CPLB, respectively. Participants with CPLB exhibited significantly slower gait speed (cm/s) (p = 0.01, mean difference (MD) 27.64 [95 % CI: 5.8 to 49.4]), fewer number of steps (p = 0.01, MD 14.20 [95 % CI: 2.90 to 25.50]), shorter steps (p = 0.04, MD 7 95 % CI: 14.2 to 25.5), prolonged steps (s) (p = 0.02, MD -0.11 [95 % CI:0.20 to -0.01]), lower percentage (p = 0.01, MD 2.70 [95 % CI: 0.50 to 4.9]) and higher variability (p = 0.01, MD 12.5 [95 % CI: 52.6 to 6.7]) of single-leg support (SLS) time compared to those without CPLB. The observed difference in gait speed exceeded the minimal clinically important differences.

This study revealed alterations in gait among pwMS with CPLB compared to those without pain. These findings can be leveraged in future studies to develop targeted rehabilitation strategies that focus on chronic pain in the lower body and gait.