The Association of Age, Sex, and BMI on Lower Limb Neuromuscular and Muscle Mechanical Function in People with Multiple Sclerosis.

(1) Background: The countermovement jump (CMJ) on a force plate could be a sensitive assessment for detecting early lower-limb muscle mechanical deficits in the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS). CMJ performance is known to be influenced by various anthropometric, physiological, and biomechanical factors, mostly investigated in children and adult athletes. Our aim was to investigate the association of age, sex, and BMI with muscle mechanical function using CMJ to provide a comprehensive overview of lower-limb motor function in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).

Sensitive Identification of Asymmetries and Neuromuscular Deficits in Lower Limb Function in Early Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: In the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), there are no objective sensitive functional assessments to identify and quantify early subclinical neuromuscular deficits and lower limb strength asymmetries during complex movements. Single-countermovement jumps (SLCMJ), a maximum single leg vertical jump, on a force plate allow functional evaluation of unilateral lower limb performance in performance diagnostics and could therefore provide early results on asymmetries in MS.

Objective: Objective evaluation of early lower limb neuromuscular deficits and asymmetries in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) using SLCMJ on a force plate.

Countermovement Jumps Detect Subtle Motor Deficits in People with Multiple Sclerosis below the Clinical Threshold.

In the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), there are currently no sensitive assessments to evaluate complex motor functions. The countermovement jump (CMJ), a high-challenge task in form of a maximal vertical bipedal jump, has already been investigated as a reliable assessment in healthy subjects for lower extremity motor function. The aim was to investigate whether it is possible to use CMJ to identify subthreshold motor deficits in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS).