Resistance TheraBand Training of Special Core Stability Muscles on Movement Speed in Men with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic nervous system dysfunction with an unpredictable period. It is the most prevalent progressive disease of the central nervous system and causes numerous complications in the neuromuscular system. This condition is associated with symptoms, such as the lack of coordination, spasticity, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, seizure, and weakness resulting from the degeneration of myelin nerves. According to the lack of specific new pharmacotherapies and their high costs, non–pharmacological methods can be useful and easily accepted by patients. One of these methods is exercise therapy. Exercises aimed at strengthening the core stability muscles could significantly influence some movement problems and ultimately increase movement pace in these patients. Recently, elastic training targeting to improve muscle strength and endurance, have attracted researchers’ attention. Elastic training advantages include cost–effectiveness, low–mass required, feasible use, high variation in movements, easy access, no need for a specific training environment, safe and controlled movements, and their implementation for specific groups. Therefore, the present research aimed to investigate the effect of an 8–week TheraBand resistance training on movement speed in men with MS.

This was a quasi–experimental research with a pretest–posttest design using a causal–comparative method. It was performed on 20 men with MS referring to the MS center of Isfahan City, Iran. The study inclusion criteria were 20 to 35 years of age, Body Mass Index (BMI) of 20 to 25 kg/m2, the disability rates of 1 to 4, according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), having a healthy vestibular system, male gender, experiencing a non–invasive period during the study, no attacks reported during the three months before the study, and the ability to walk independently. The study exclusion criteria included missing two consecutive training sessions and three inconsecutive sessions, improper collaboration, increased pain, a disease attack incidence, and a physician’s recommendation for stopping the activity. The study subjects were divided into the control and intervention groups. In the 8 weeks of investigation, the control group performed no regular activity or specific exercise; however, the intervention group conducted an 8–week training program 3 times a week. Moreover, the exercises were performed in 45–minute sessions. The exercise protocol was applied to the hip and trunk muscle groups. In this protocol, the intensity of training was considered as one reputation maximum of elastic TheraBand; the intensity, according to the overload principle, ranged from 55% to 70%. To measure the speed of movement, an 8–meter Movement Speed Test was used. The obtained data were analyzed using Dependent Samples t–test and Independent Samples t–test at the significance level of p≤0.05 in SPSS.

The pretest–posttest comparison suggested a significant difference in the speed of movement in the test group (p ≤0.001), compared to the controls. Additionally, pretest–posttest mean score comparisons in the TheraBand resistance group revealed an increase of 34.56 cm/sec in the speed of movement that caused significant differences in the Dependent Samples t–test data. The effect size of exercise was calculated as 0.76 by Cohen scale, suggesting the significant effect of this exercise.

The obtained data suggested the effectiveness of TheraBand elastic specific core stability exercises on the speed of movement, leading to improved physical activity in patients. TheraBand exercises can be performed independently using different elastics in all motion ranges and can include all movements and muscle groups. TheraBand exercises benefits include a low mass requirement, portability, easy learning, simultaneously increased endurance, and strength and being applicable as homework. Therefore, mentors and exercise rehabilitators specialists in this field are recommended to use these exercises to improve these patients’ health, especially in terms of the speed of improvement.