Core Stability Exercises Affect Hope and Its Components in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Young people are at a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), which can adversely affect their social and personal lives and, thus, psychological capital such as hope. 

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of core stability exercises on the levels of hope and its components in patients with MS.

This research employed a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. This study was conducted on MS patients referred to the Omid Clinic of Babol University of Medical Sciences Babol City, Iran, from April to June 2018. Using the available sampling method, 36 patients (two groups of 18 people) were selected with the diagnosis of a neurologist and under similar drug treatments who could perform core stability exercises. The experimental group performed a core stability training protocol for 8 weeks, three sessions a week, and one day between each session, and each session took about 30 minutes. Snyder’s adult hope scale was administered in the pre-test and post-test stages for both groups. 

This study involved 24 women and 12 men, most of whom were in their third decade. Findings indicate the effectiveness of core stability exercises on resilience, purposefulness, self-control and ability to solve problems, stubbornness, and optimism (P<0.05). However, it has not influenced the belief component (P>0.05).

Core stability exercises and medical and physical treatments in MS patients can improve their health because hope and its components increase with exercise.