The Evaluation of a Pilates Program in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Background: The Multiple Sclerosis is an immune mediated inflammatory disease that causes lesions in brain and spinal cord. The correlation between clinical presentations and symptoms are extremely complex. The Multiple Sclerosis clinical subtypes are relapsing remitting (RR), secondarily progressive (SP) and primarily progressive (PP). The RR subtype is defined with clinical outbreaks or lesions in central nervous system (CNS), with higher phenotypic modifications. The presentation of PP is with CNS lesions without clinical outbreaks. The SP presentation is an evolution from the RR phase, leading a progressive neurological disability and this transition mechanism is already unknown. The disability levels must be quantified through the Expanded Disability Status Scale. There are subdivided in eight functional systems with a total score which characterize the disability staging. 

Objectives: The investigate the evaluation of patients with MS after a Pilates program.

Methods: This study was realized on a Social Organization, in Brazil. We evaluate 20 patients (13 RR, 5 SP and 2 PP), 5 male and 15 female, aged 25 to 70 years, EDSS from 2,5 to 6,0, on 9 sessions and the analysis were based on strength evaluation of distal upper and lower limbs, with manual measure test based on Medical Research Council, balance with Berg Balance Scale, fatigue with Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) and urinary dysfunction with International Consulation of Incontinence Questionnaire (ICIQ). 

Results: There was a statistically positive significant result in cross tabulation of distal muscular strength of left lower limb and the clinical subtypes. The others variables crossing gender, age and the other functional scales were not statistically significant. 

Conclusions: We conclude that there was a lower level of improvement of the functional scales and the Pilates program. Although, the amount of sessions was short and the sample was too small, justifying the results of our comparison. In clinical practice we observe an improvement of the signals and symptoms of these patients. Others studies must be done, to prove the importance of Pilates in rehabilitation of Multiple Sclerosis patients.