Clinical Pilates Training for Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic-progressive and neurodegenerative disease. Thus, exercise programs are needed to maintain and increase functional status of persons with MS (pwMS). Pilates exercises designed by physiotherapist can enhance participation and functionality in pwMS. The aim is to investigate the effects of a clinical Pilates training on balance, walking, fall risk, respiratory and cognitive functions in pwMS. Forty-two pwMS will be included in this randomized controlled trial. Participants will be divided into two groups with stratified randomization. Pilates exercises group (n=21) will receive therapy once a week for 8 weeks plus home exercise programme. The home exercise program group (n = 21) will be given written exercises that matched the aims of the Pilates exercises and the program compliance will be monitored by telephone calls once a week. The assessments will be done twice at the beginning and at the end of the treatment. The outcome measures include the Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW), Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), Timed Up and Go (TUG), TUG cognitive and manual forms, 12-Item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12), Curl-Up Test (CUT), Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, respiratory muscle strength assessment, Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS).