Influência de um Programa de Atividade Física na Aptidão Física, Fadiga e Qualidade de Vida de Pessoas com Esclerose Múltipla

Abstract

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and progressive disease that affects the individual on physical, psychological and social domains, influencing their quality of life. It is recognized the importance of regular physical activity (PA), as an adjunctive approach of pharmacological treatment, but also as a mean to avoid disease progression and achieve benefits in the diverse domains of the individual's life. The present study aimed to analyze the effects of a PA program, structured and adapted to this population, in their physical fitness, fatigue and quality of life. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of a period of inactivity and a PA intervention on these variables. The sample comprised 12 participants with MS (8fem.), divided into two groups, according to their individual functionality (i.e., Group I - higher mobility; Group II - lower mobility). The physical inactivity period had 8 week duration and PA program was implemented for 35 weeks. All participants completed a test battery at the beginning and at the end of each period to evaluate fatigue (Modified Fatigue Impact Scale), quality of life (World Health Organization Quality of Life - Brief version), range of motion (Forward Head Posture; PostureChecker; hudlTechnique) and physical fitness ("Single Leg Stance Test", "Chair Sit-&-Reach", "6-Min Walk Test", "1-Minute Step Test", "30-Second Chair Stand", "Alternating Extension of the Lower Limbs Test" "Arm Curl" and "Timed up-and-go test"). Regarding statistical analyses, Paired-Samples T Test or Wilcoxon test were used to evaluate the difference between assessed moments. Results revealed that after inactivity period: i) in total sample, fatigue, flexibility, strength and resistance of the upper limbs (UL) presented worse performance; ii) in Group I: balance, mobility, aerobic resistance, strength and resistance of the lower limbs (LL) presented worse performance. After the PA program: i) in total sample, fatigue, flexibility, strength and resistance of UL and LL, improved; ii) in Group I, aerobic resistance, balance and mobility, improved; and iii) Group II obtained improvements in UL range of motion. Therefore, the applied PA program seems to be able to delay the consequences associated with this pathology, which worsened during the physical inactivity period. Despite the improvements noted in both groups, in Group I these were more significant in both periods.