The Investigation of the Relationship Between Core Stability and Trunk Position Sense With Balance and Functional Mobility in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
The Investigation of the Relationship Between Core Stability and Trunk Position Sense With Balance and Functional Mobility in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis
The aim of this study is to compare balance, functional mobility, core stability and trunk position sense in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) and healthy controls and investigate the relationship between core stability and trunk position sense with balance and functional mobility in PwMS.
Balance and mobility disorders are seen in various degrees in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS). Balance and mobility impairments are observed in the beginning with the early period and are one of the most common causes of disability in PwMS.
Coordination between the peripheral sensory system, the central sensory-motor system and the musculoskeletal system which generates motor responses is required to provide balance. If one or more of these systems do not function properly, this results in deficiency in trunk stability and also causes balance and mobility disorders.
It has been shown that balance and mobility disorders are mostly associated with loss of strength, spasticity, coordination disorders and sensory loss. Especially, it is known that strength of core are related to balance and mobility. Although core muscle strength is a significant element of trunk stability, position sense is also responsible for trunk stability. When literature is examined, there is no study which examines the relationship between balance and mobility with core muscles' strength and trunk position sense in PwMS. For all these reasons, we think that balance and functional mobility may be related to core stability and trunk position sense in PwMS
Our study was carried out with the purpose of comparing balance, functional mobility, core stability and trunk position sense in PwMS and healthy controls and investigating the relationship between core stability and trunk position sense with balance and functional mobility in PwMS.
45 PwMS and 29 healthy volunteers with matching ages and genders were included the study. Balance was assessed by Biodex Biosway Portable Balance System (Biodex Medical Systems Inc., Shirley, New York). Timed Up and Go (TUG) tests were used to evaluate functional mobility. Core endurance and core strength, which are two specific components of core stability, were evaluated separately. Trunk flexor, trunk extensor, right and left side bridge and prone bridge tests were applied to assess the endurance of the core muscles. The power of core muscles was evaluated with sit-ups and modified push-ups tests. Trunk position sense was evaluated by the trunk reposition test with Dualer IQ digital inclinometer (J-TECH medical, Salt Lake City, UK, USA).
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