The National Institutes of Health awarded Milwaukee-based Marquette University $3.34 million to improve walking, balance and community mobility in people with multiple sclerosis.
The project studies high-intensity, dynamic-stability gait training in people with multiple sclerosis. According to an Oct. 11 news release, it is predicated on the previous experience with high-intensity training in patients with other neurological disorders and promising results of a pilot study demonstrating the feasibility of dynamic balance treadmill training in people with multiple sclerosis.
Brian Schmit, PhD, Hammes Family professor in the Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, said there are still unmet rehabilitation needs for people with MS, and this project has the potential for substantial public health improvement.
"Our team will evaluate the individual and combined effects of high-intensity exercise and balance perturbations during treadmill training in people with MS. We hope this will lead to two developments. The first is to reduce falls by enhancing balance while walking, which will get better with repeated practice walking on a surface that moves unexpectedly. The second is to improve strength, coordination, and heart and lung capacity to be able to walk faster and farther," Dr. Schmit said.