Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 M.Sc. Student, Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, ‎Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associated Professor of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Purpose: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease which is on the rise in recent years especially in Iran. Although there has been much progress in MS treatment, there is no definitive cure for it. Considering high prices of prescription drugs and their serious side effects as well as, impact of this illness on function efficiency of individuals, it seems that exercise training is one of the effective, cheap, and without side effects methods, in improvement of the performance of MS patients. In this regard, the present study aimed to provide comprehensive information on the background and the latest studies conducted to evaluate the effect of various exercise trainings (resistance, aerobic, core stability, Pilates, and combined) on this disease. Methods: An electronic search from 1994 to 2022 was performed in the Magiran, SID, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases to find published articles. The keywords were multiple sclerosis, physical activity, exercise, training, aerobics, resistance, combined, core stability and Pilates. Different articles were selected and reviewed according to relation with subject. Results: The results indicated that various exercise training with different duration, intensity, and frequency cause different adaptations in people. Furthermore, regular continuous combined exercise training can be more effective than one type of exercise training in improvement and reduction of the symptoms of MS disease. The mechanism of improvement in combined exercise training can be justified due to the benefits of concurrent use of two or more types of training protocols. Conclusions: It can be said that the combined use of exercise trainings is the most useful and effective method for these patients. However, more studies on the best combination of exercise trainings for MS patients should be done in the future.

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