Active clinical trials for "Multiple Sclerosis"

Due to their ubiquitary distribution, smartphones might serve as an easy way/ possibility to use feedback mechanism in an app-based intervention program to increase physical activity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. Internet based cognitive-behavioral interventions have been explored as effective in the last years. In addition, smartphone-based mobility assessment and intervention might be a promising approach in other MS types and for real-life mobility assessment in observational and interventional trials. The aim is to investigate the impact of a smartphone based information and feedback program on physical activity in a 3 months, randomised waiting-group controlled trial of 40 progressive MS patients.

In Multiple Sclerosis the multiplicity of physical and psychological dysfunctions have been shown to exhibit a number of life-altering problems such as fatigue, limb weakness, alteration of upper extremity fine motor coordination, loss of sensation, spasticity. These problems affect performance of many daily living activities (ADL) such as dressing, bathing, self-care, and writing, thus reducing functional independence and self-rated quality of life. Twenty people with Multiple Sclerosis will receive neurorehabilitation treatment comprising a combination of aerobic training and upper limb task-oriented training. The aim of this pilot crossover study is to evaluate the effects of neurorehabilitation on upper limb performance and on fatigue in People with Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological condition which is a common cause of disability in young people. It is thought to be an autoimmune condition, where the body's immune system begins to attack itself. The cause of MS is unknown but is thought to be a mix of genetic and environmental factors. There are treatments available for early stages of MS, but the later stage known as Secondary Progressive MS (SPMS) has no current treatment. Statins are a safe treatment traditionally used to reduce cholesterol levels. However, statins also have other effects which could reduce the progression of SPMS, such as effects on the immune system and circulation. A recent study (Chataway et al., 2014) showed that treatment with high-dose simvastatin, a type of statin, reduced the progression of SPMS but no effect on the immune system was seen. It is possible that simvastatin does not treat the immune system but improves how the blood and blood vessels in the brain work in this disease. The purpose of the clinical trial is to test how Simvastatin (80mg/day) may slow down disease progression in people living with SPMS compared to placebo (dummy pill). Participants will receive either Simvastatin or placebo and will be asked to take 2 tablets daily, for up to 17 weeks.

This trial consists of application of little devices (named Equistasi®) generating focal vibrations to treat spasticity in neurological patients, affected by multiple sclerosis. The expected effects are on gait and postural instability.

Vertigo, dizziness and control postural disturbance are one of the most disabling symptoms in Multiple Sclerosis. These could be caused by a peripheral or central vestibular disorder. Although, central vestibular damage is more prevalent, peripheral vestibular disturbance aetiology is significantly common in this disease. Within peripheral vestibulopathy, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo is the most common syndrome. Impairments of posterior semi-circular canals in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo represent among the 60-90 % of the cases. Gold standard treatment in this syndrome is the canalith repositioning procedure, called Epley manoeuvre. This manoeuvre has been deeply investigated in previous studies for participants who only suffer from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Any randomized clinical trials have been carried out to assess the effectiveness of Epley manoeuvre. However, a retrospective research and a case study reported encouraging results for the resolution of posterior semi-circular canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, through the Epley manoeuvre. The main objective of the study is to assess the effectiveness of the Epley Manoeuvre for the improvement of the benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of participants with multiple sclerosis, compared to a passive control group.

This is a descriptive, prospective, non-controlled clinical investigation to be conducted on approximately 10 enrolled subjects at one site at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway. The target subjects are male or female, 18-70 years, diagnosed with MS according to revised McDonald criteria (9) with spasticity and pain associated with the spasticity. Spasticity is evaluated based on self-reported spasticity using the numerical rating scale (NRS) which describes the average score of spasticity over the last 24 hours at >4 (where the scale scores spasticity from 0-10, where 0 is no spasticity, and 10 is worst possible spasticity), - combined with pain in the lower extremities last 24 hours. The pilot investigation is done to evaluate if FlowOx2.0™ can be used to treat spasticity with concomitant pain in patients with multiple sclerosis, using intermittent negative pressure affecting arteriovenous reflex.

Only a limited percentage of persons with MS (pwMS) participate to multidisciplinary rehabilitation because of poor support, knowledge and motivation. The investigators reasoned that pwMS should be more effectively prepared to increase their adherence. This study propose the implementation of an innovative collaborative approach, called "brief high-impact preparatory experience" (b-HIPE), inspired by an overarching model based on the interplay between competence, motivation and opportunity to increase in a short time awareness and motivation of pwMS. The aim of the study is the evaluation of its feasibility. For this pilot study the investigator chose a single-group design with repeated measurements at baseline and post intervention.

This study wants to investigate whether exercise booster sessions applied in the follow-up period after an exercise intervention can increase the sustainability of exercise induced effects in persons with multiple sclerosis. The study will be a randomized, multi-site, controlled trial. Participants will from the beginning be allocated to either aerobic training group, resistance training group or control group. After a 12 week exercise intervention, the exercise groups will be additionally randomized to receive either exercise booster sessions + standard care or just standard care in the 40 week follow up period. It is hypothesized that exercise booster sessions can increase the sustainability of exercise induced effects.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of digital pelvic floor muscle training and lifestyle recommendations in patients with Multiple Sclerosis having lower urinary tract symptoms.

Gastrocnemius spasticity is one of the main complaints in Multiple Sclerosis patients.Local muscle vibration is a method used for spasticity inhibition. However, when the studies in the literature are examined; It is noted that local vibration applications for spasticity are usually single sessions and evaluate the acute effect, do not produce functional outputs, there is no consensus on frequency and amplitude and the changes in muscle architecture are not examined. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of local vibration applied on spastic gastrocnemius on muscle architectural and functional properties in Multiple Sclerosis patients in addition to the standard physiotherapy program. The study was planned to include 3 groups, 2 treatment and 1 control group. The control group will receive standard physiotherapy, one of the treatment groups will receive 50 Hz local vibration in addition to standard physiotherapy, and other treatment group will receive 100 Hz local vibration in addition to standard physiotherapy. Disease severity, gastrocnemius spasticity, architectural and viscoelastic properties of muscle, ankle proprioception, balance and gait skills will be evaluated before and after 8 weeks treatment program. As a result; effectiveness of local vibration in addition to standard physiotherapy program and whether there is a difference between applications at different frequencies will be examined.