The Effects of a 6-Week Selected Balance and Cawthorne-Cooksey Exercises on Static Balance and Mobility in Female Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Purpose: This quasi-experimental and applied research was conducted in 2019. The statistical population of this study included female patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) who were members of the Iranian MS Association.  Methods: The study subjects were selected among those with a moderate level of disability (between grades 2 & 5). From the statistical population, initially, 60 individuals were selected by a simple and accessible method; however, for some reason, some samples dropped out during the research. In total, 14, 15, and 19 individuals included the balance, Cawthorne-Cooksey, and control groups, respectively. They were selected based on the study inclusion and exclusion criteria. The three groups were evaluated for static balance by the stork test; then, their mobility was measured by the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test at the pretest phase. Next, the two experimental groups performed the exercises for 6 weeks and 3 sessions per week. Besides, at the end of the exercise protocol, the three groups conducted the mentioned test again at the posttest step. To compare the between-groups data at the posttest, one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Least Significant Difference (LSD) test were used to compare the differences between the research groups at a significance level 0.05. Results: The present research results indicated that the balance and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises performed in the experimental groups revealed statistically significant changes in the two studied factors (both P=0.001). Moreover, the LSD test results signified that in the mobility test, there was a significant difference between the control group and balance exercises group (P=0.001) and the control group and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises group (P=0.001). Additionally, in the static balance test, a significant difference was observed between the control group and balance exercises group (P=0.003) and the control group and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises group (P=0.001). Finally, it was revealed that female patients with MS presented better balance and mobility after performing the exercise sessions. Conclusion: The obtained data suggested that specialists could use the explored selected balance exercises and Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises to improve balance and mobility in patients with MS.