Fatigue is a symptom commonly seen in individuals with MS that may limit their ability to benefit from physical therapy. A exercise program that decreases the amount of fatigue a person with MS experiences as a result of the exercise may lead to a greater amount of exercise performed and a greater likelihood of realizing the benefits of exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine whether subjective feelings of fatigue are different in persons with MS depending on whether they engage in intermittent or continuous exercise. Using a repeated-measures, crossover, within-subejcts design, a sample of 30 ambulatory persons with EDSS scores between two and four performed 6 minutes of either continuous or intermittent walking. Fatigue was measured of the Visual Analog Scale of Fatigue. It was expected that persons with MS who performed the 6-minute walk in an intermittent manner would have lower scores on the VASF compared to persons who performed the 6-minute walk continuously. Results showed the subjects found the intermittent walking to be significantly less fatiguing than the continuous walking. There was no effect noted for disease severity, duration, or subject mood. Clinicians are often reluctant to treat persons with MS due to the lack of an established protocol as compared to those available for other neurological disorders. This study provides evidence to support the use of intermittent exercise in persons with MS, which may be tolerated better than continuous exercise based on subjective reporting.
