Article

Resistance exercise is effective in improving muscle strength and
preventing muscle weakness in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Control of
resistance training intensity based on perceived muscular effort is applicable to
healthy individuals, yet there is no evidence of its utility for MS patients.
OBJECTIVE: To compare perception of muscular effort in MS patients to healthy
controls. METHODS : Based on their perception of muscular effort, twenty-five MS
patients and twenty-eight controls adjusted static elbow extension tasks
according to five levels on the OMNI-Resistance Exercise Scale. Elbow extension
strength and muscle activity were measured via load cell dynamometer and surface
electromyography (EMG) and related to each participant's maximal voluntary
contraction (MVC) strength and muscle activity. Two-way analysis of variance was
used to evaluate statistical significance. RESULTS: There were no statistically
significant differences between MS patients and healthy controls, they produced
similar relative torque values (F1 = 0.196; p > 0.05) and extensor muscle
activities (F(2,617) = 1.556; p > 0.05) across all effort levels. CONCLUSION: No
differences were found in the perception of muscular effort in MS patients and
the age-matched control group. Future studies should explore, whether rating of
perceived exertion is an effective instrument to control resistance training
intensity in MS patients.

Langue : ANGLAIS