The Comparative Effects of Stretching with Aerobic and Aerobic Exercises on Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background The physical activity for people with MS largely affects the amount of fatigue. Increased appropriate physical activity tends to decrease the amount of fatigue. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of aerobic and aerobic with stretching exercises on fatigue in people with MS. Methods The randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on the members of the MS Society of Tehran, Iran. 120 subjects were admitted between November 2009–April 2011; they were diagnosed with clinically definite multiple sclerosis and Expanded Disability Status Scale scores 1.0 to 5.5 and randomly assigned to two exercise groups and one control group. Outcome assessment was performed at baseline and the end of 3 month period using a checklist containing some demographic, disease variable and fatigue severity scale. The exercises consisted of stretching with aerobic and aerobic exercises. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 18.0. Results Independent t test showed that there are significant differences between the two exercise groups in the pretest (P < 0.005). Analysis of Variance showed that there were significant differences between the exercise groups before and after the intervention (P < 0.001). Conclusion Stretching with aerobic exercises showed significant improvement in fatigue compared to aerobic exercises alone.