Improving Ambulation in Multiple Sclerosis

Persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) frequently experience limitations of ambulation in the course of their disease. Not surprisingly, in recent surveys PwMS considered lower extremity function as one of the most important bodily functions, and ranked mobility limitations as the most important factor affecting their quality of life. The impact of MS on ambulation is reflected in the fact that the most commonly used outcome measures in clinical trials of MS disease-modifying therapies, the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and the MS Functional Composite (MSFC), include walking performance as one of their main components. There has been an increasing effort to evaluate the effect of traditional interventions on ambulation, and new treatments and devices are being tested or marketed for the specific purpose of improving walking performance in PwMS.