Straighten your back! Self-correction posture and postural balance in "non rehabilitative instructed" multiple sclerosis patients.

Backgroud: Patients with MS, regardless of the complexity of the activity or sensory conditions, commonly present a significant postural control deficit compared to healthy subjects.

Objective: To investigate which postural self-correction strategies are adopted by patients with Multiple Sclerosis versus a group of healthy-subjects and how self-correction can influence the control of postural balance.

Methods: A case-control prospective observational study was conducted. Person with Multiple Sclerosis and a group of healthy volunteers were enrolled. Patients included were instructed with vocal commands, to reach a self-correction posture, and they were compared to healthy subjects. Clinical assessments including Balance, Stabilometry and Postural evaluation of the spine were performed.

Results: Sixty patients (30: control-group; 30: treatment-group) were enrolled. In the treatment group, the analysis reported a significant statistical difference between path length and center of pressure speed in self-correction posture with closed-eyes (p = 0,049; 0,047) and an improvement in C7 and L3 levels in self-correction posture (p < 0,01-C7; p < 0,01-L3). There are significant statistical differences about path length between the two groups in all examined conditions (p = 0,0001). At sagittal plane evaluation, results show an increase of all measurements in both posture (C7-neutral posture p = 0,0001; L3-neutral posture p = 0,0001; C7-self-correction posture p = 0,0001; L3-self-correction posture p = 0,0001).

Conclusion: Further study should investigate dynamic situations and different Multiple Sclerosis forms to complete balance analysis and to establish a correct rehabilitative program with self-correction exercise as powerful focus.