Effect of Exercise With Stationary Bike in Water with and Without Blood Flow Restriction on Step Frequency and Step Length Symmetry of Women With Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease that cause damage to the myelin membrane of the central nervous system. The present study aims to investigate the effect of exercise with stationary bike in water with and without Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) on step frequency and step length symmetry of women with MS.

Participants were 20 women with MS and a disability degree of 1-4 who were selected purposefully and randomly divided into two groups of exercise with BFR (n=10) and without BFR (n=10). Each group performed cycling in water for 6 weeks, 3 sessions per week (3 sets each for 6 minutes with 1-minute rest interval and HRmax of 60%-65%). A cuff was used on the upper part of both legs with a pressure of 96±10 mmHg for BFR. The step frequency and step length symmetry were measured using the Casio EXILIM EX-F1 camera at 300 Hz frequency and analyzed in KINOVEA software. Collected data were statistically analyzed in SPSS software using paired t-test and ANCOVA to compare the two groups.

There was no significant difference between the two groups in the study variables (P≥0.05).

The two exercises with and without BFR have no effect on the gait parameters of women with MS, but these exercises are recommend for inactive MS patients.