Biomechanics and Motion Analysis

Development of New Outcome Measures for Patients with Progressive Mulitple Sclerosis: Proposal for Extension of a Feasibility Study

Principal Investigator: Dean M. Wingerchuk, M.D.
Project Coordinator: Christine Hughes — hughes.christine@mayo.edu

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive central nervous system disease primarily affecting young adults. Gradual deterioration in ambulatory function is one major manifestation of progressive forms of MS. The cost and duration of therapeutic trials for progressive MS may be reduced by implementing objective, responsive, and valid measures that predict future clinical deterioration. Gait analysis adds objective, reliable outcome measures sensitive to detecting neurological deterioration. It has been previously established that short-term serial measurements of several motion analysis variables are reliable and more responsive than the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS).

Data have shown that; 1) gait analysis variables have excellent test-retest reliability; 2) several gait variables predict worsening deterioration despite the absence of change in clinical measures; 3) different gait variables may predict deterioration for different gait abnormalities (spastic, ataxic, and spastic-ataxic).