effects of a 10 week yoga intervention on balance, mobility, spasticity and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis
abstract
multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system (cns) that results in
many symptoms including balance deficits, mobility limitations, spasticity and reduced
quality of life (joy & johnston, 2001). however, little research exists on improving
balance, mobility and spasticity through physical activity interventions in people with
ms. the purpose of the present study was to determine the effects of a yoga intervention
on postural control, spasticity, mobility, and quality of life in people with ms.
a sample o f 12 people aged 30 to 76 (mean age o f 52 yrs.) with varying types of
ms participated in a twice weekly 70 minute yoga intervention for 10 weeks. participants
completed a spasticity questionnaire, the adapted timed get up and go (atgug), the
rivermead mobility index (rmi), a postural control assessment, and the multiple
sclerosis quality o f life inventory (ms-qli) at 3 assessments; pre, post, and 12 weeks
after the intervention. after the 10-week program a social validation questionnaire was
also completed.
one way repeated measures anovas or friedman anovas by ranks indicated
significant changes on the fatigue and vision scales of the ms-qli mfis and ivis
between pre and post assessments. changes in atgug and rmi suggest that yoga may
be a valuable alternative to traditional exercise programs for people with ms. many of
the changes began to return to pre intervention values over the second 12-week period.
future studies should employ a control group, larger sample sizes, and screen more
carefully for initial functional status stratifications.
collections
- retrospective theses [1604]