The Effects of a 6-Week Selected Balance and Cawthorne-Cooksey Exercises on Static Balance and Mobility in Female Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Purpose: This quasi-experimental and applied research was conducted in 2019. The statistical population of this study included female patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who were members of the Iranian MS Association. Methods: The study subjects were selected among those with a moderate level of disability (between grades 2 & 5). From the statistical population, initially, 60 individuals were selected by a simple and accessible method; however, for some reason, some samples dropped out during the research. In total, 14, 15, and 19 individuals included the balance, CawthorneCooksey, and control groups, respectively. They were selected based on the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. The three groups were evaluated for static balance by the stork test; then, their mobility was measured by the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test at the pretest phase. Next, the two experimental groups performed the exercises for 6 weeks and 3 sessions per week. Besides, at the end of the exercise protocol, the three groups conducted the mentioned test again at the posttest step. To compare the between-groups data at the posttest, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Least Significant Difference (LSD) test were used to compare the differences between the research groups at a significance level 0.05. Results: The present research results indicated that the balance and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises performed in the experimental groups revealed statistically significant changes in the two studied factors (both P=0.001). Moreover, the LSD test results signified that in the mobility test, there was a significant difference between the control group and balance exercises group (P=0.001) and the control group and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises group (P=0.001). Additionally, in the static balance test, a significant difference was observed between the control group and balance exercises group (P=0.003) and the control group and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises group (P=0.001). Finally, it was revealed that female patients with MS presented better balance and mobility after performing the exercise sessions. Conclusion: The obtained data suggested that specialists could use the explored selected balance exercises and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises to improve balance and mobility in patients with MS.