Article

Few interventions have been successful in improving gait dysfunction
in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) has
demonstrated positive results on gait performance in other neurologically
impaired populations.
OBJECTIVE: To measure the effects of RAS on quantitative
walking parameters in ambulatory patients with MS.
METHODS: Ten MS patients with
gait disturbance were randomly assigned to receive RAS versus no intervention for
2 weeks. All participants received RAS for another 2 weeks. Between weekly clinic
visits, they were provided with MP3 players containing songs whose tempo was 10%
above the participant's spontaneous cadence and were instructed to walk to the
music 20 minutes daily. Quantitative gait parameters were measured using the
GAITRite system. RESULTS: A statistically significant decrease between groups was
found for change in double-support time (left, P = .0176; right, P = .0247),
whereas trends with medium to high effect sizes were found for other gait
parameters, including walking speed. A pooled within-group analysis showed
significant improvement of cadence, stride length, step length, velocity, and
normalized velocity after 1 week of treatment. Satisfaction level with RAS was high.
CONCLUSIONS: These results in a convenience sample of MS patients
demonstrate the feasibility and safety of RAS when used at home and suggest a
potential benefit on gait parameters.

Langue : ANGLAIS