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Long-term endurance training improves general health perception in multiple sclerosis patients with fatigue: results of an exploratory study

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Abstract

Purpose

To determine if long-term endurance exercise improves quality of life (QOL) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods

89 patients with relapsing–remitting MS and an EDSS of <3.5 participated in a prospective non-randomized controlled exploratory trial. The exercise program comprised a walking exercise three times weekly for 30 min (“interval training” twice weekly, “endurance training” once weekly) for 12 months. Participants were tested every 3 months on a treadmill according to a modified Naughton protocol. Fatigue was assessed by the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and QOL by a German version of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measurements.

Results

20 patients without and 24 with fatigue completed the program. QOL was reduced in several subscales of the SF-36 in MS patients with fatigue at baseline: physical functioning (p < 0.001), physical role functioning (p < 0.002), bodily pain (p ≤ 0.04), vitality (p ≤ 0.001), social role functioning (p ≤ 0.004), emotional role functioning (p ≤ 0.03), mental health (p ≤ 0.006). Exercise training resulted in a significant improvement of the subscale general health perceptions (p ≤ 0.01).

Conclusions

Fatigue contributes significantly to QOL in MS patients. A significant improvement in the subscale general health perceptions was demonstrated by a 12-month endurance walking program in MS patients with fatigue.

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Abbreviations

QOL:

Quality of life

MS:

Multiple sclerosis

ACSM:

American College of Sports Medicine

RR-MS:

Relapsing–remitting MS

EDSS:

Expanded Disability Status Scale

VO2 :

Peak oxygen consumption

FSS:

Fatigue Severity Scale

SF-36 Health Survey:

Short Form Health Survey

PF:

Physical functioning

RP:

Physical role functioning

BP:

Bodily pain

GH:

General health perceptions

VT:

Vitality

SF:

Social role functioning

RE:

Emotional role functioning

MH:

Mental health

ANOVA:

Analysis of variance

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Schule für Physiotherapie Gummersbach, DAA Gesundheit und Soziales, Becketalstraße 1-3, 51643, Gummersbach, Germany

    Marc Wonneberger

  2. Neurologische Gemeinschaftspraxis Bonn, Gesundheitszentrum St. Johannes, Kölnstr. 54, 53111, Bonn, Germany

    Stephan Schmidt

  3. Department of Neurology, Knappschafts-Krankenhaus Langendreer, Ruhr-University of Bochum, An der Schornau 23-25, 44892, Bochum, Germany

    Stephan Schmidt

Authors
  1. Marc Wonneberger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephan Schmidt.

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Funding

This study was funded by Bayer Vital (Grant Number PB05).

Conflict of interest

Both authors have received speaker honoraria from Bayer Vital.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Wonneberger, M., Schmidt, S. Long-term endurance training improves general health perception in multiple sclerosis patients with fatigue: results of an exploratory study. Sport Sci Health 13, 607–613 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-017-0391-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11332-017-0391-4

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