Comparison of changes in center of pressure and reaction time during gait initiation in response to external disturbances in women with multiple sclerosis and healthy

Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease of the safety system that affects the central nervous system and can lead to changes in walking and often imbalances,Postural imbalance and as a consequence of a change in walking are the main problem of MS patients, which limits their daily activities and increases the risk of falling injuries.The aim of this study was to compare the changes in the center of pressure,reaction time and difference center of pressure with center of mass in gait initiation of20to40 years old women with MS in response to external disturbances.

10 MS patients and 10 healthy subjects participated in this study and the gait initiation Protocol go from standing to steady-state walking on two force plates.

MS patients had the maximum distance between the center of pressure AP,more changes in the COP-COM diferent in AP and ML direction in feedforward phase,and more changes in COP-COM diferent in feedback phase start their walking.

According to research findings,it seems that the decrease in the center of pressure in both directions and the COP-COM diferent in the feed forward phase in MS patients can be a reason for the relationship between the gait initiation and falling due to reduced reaction time,decreased postural control or both.On the other hand,the increase in the difference between COP-COM diferent in the feedback phase can be considered as a reason for continuous control of the body center of mass within the stability boundary, which emphasizes the need for balance training in lower limbs of MS patients.