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Oxygen cost during mobility tasks and its relationship to fatigue in progressive Multiple Sclerosis
Augustine J. Devasahayam, M.Phty, et al
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2019.03.017
Abstract
Highlights
•People with progressive MS consume 2.81 times more energy during mobility tasks.
•Accumulation of oxygen cost and fatigue suggest deconditioning in persons with MS.
•Oxygen cost of walking is a significant predictor of fatigue in progressive MS.
Objective
To compare the oxygen costs of mobility tasks between individuals with progressive MS using walking aids and matched controls and to determine whether oxygen cost predicted fatigue.
Design
Cross-sectional descriptive.
Setting
A rehabilitation research laboratory.
Participants
14 adults with progressive MS (54.07+8.46 years of mean age) using walking aids and 8 age/sex-matched controls without MS.
Interventions
Participants performed five mobility tasks (rolling in bed, lying to sitting, sitting to standing, walking and climbing steps) wearing a portable metabolic cart.
Outcome Measure(s)
Oxygen consumption (V̇O2) during mobility tasks, maximal V̇O2 during graded maximal exercise test, perceived exertion and task-induced fatigue measured on a visual analogue scale before and after mobility tasks.
Results
People with progressive MS had significantly higher oxygen cost in all tasks compared to controls (p<0.05): climbing steps (3.60 times more in MS), rolling in bed (3.53), walking (3.10), lying to sitting (2.50), and sitting to standing (1.82). There was a strong, positive correlation between task-induced fatigue and oxygen cost of walking, (rs(13)=0.626, p=0.022).
Conclusions
People with progressive MS used 2.81 times more energy on average for mobility tasks compared to controls. People with progressive MS experienced accumulation of oxygen cost, fatigue and exertion when repeating tasks and higher oxygen cost during walking was related to greater perception of fatigue. Our findings suggest that rehabilitation interventions that increase endurance during functional tasks could help reduce fatigue in people with progressive MS who use walking aids.
Augustine J. Devasahayam, M.Phty, et al
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2019.03.017
Abstract
Highlights
•People with progressive MS consume 2.81 times more energy during mobility tasks.
•Accumulation of oxygen cost and fatigue suggest deconditioning in persons with MS.
•Oxygen cost of walking is a significant predictor of fatigue in progressive MS.
Objective
To compare the oxygen costs of mobility tasks between individuals with progressive MS using walking aids and matched controls and to determine whether oxygen cost predicted fatigue.
Design
Cross-sectional descriptive.
Setting
A rehabilitation research laboratory.
Participants
14 adults with progressive MS (54.07+8.46 years of mean age) using walking aids and 8 age/sex-matched controls without MS.
Interventions
Participants performed five mobility tasks (rolling in bed, lying to sitting, sitting to standing, walking and climbing steps) wearing a portable metabolic cart.
Outcome Measure(s)
Oxygen consumption (V̇O2) during mobility tasks, maximal V̇O2 during graded maximal exercise test, perceived exertion and task-induced fatigue measured on a visual analogue scale before and after mobility tasks.
Results
People with progressive MS had significantly higher oxygen cost in all tasks compared to controls (p<0.05): climbing steps (3.60 times more in MS), rolling in bed (3.53), walking (3.10), lying to sitting (2.50), and sitting to standing (1.82). There was a strong, positive correlation between task-induced fatigue and oxygen cost of walking, (rs(13)=0.626, p=0.022).
Conclusions
People with progressive MS used 2.81 times more energy on average for mobility tasks compared to controls. People with progressive MS experienced accumulation of oxygen cost, fatigue and exertion when repeating tasks and higher oxygen cost during walking was related to greater perception of fatigue. Our findings suggest that rehabilitation interventions that increase endurance during functional tasks could help reduce fatigue in people with progressive MS who use walking aids.