Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: People with multiple sclerosis often experience muscle weakness and fatigue, which impair proprioception and gait. The effects of knee muscle fatigue on these outcomes remain unclear. This study investigated the effects of a knee muscle fatigue protocol on knee position sense and gait in people with multiple sclerosis. METHODS: A total of 36 mildly affected people with multiple sclerosis and nine healthy controls participated in this case-control study with repeated pre- and post-fatigue assessments. Gait was assessed using a G-Walk sensor, and knee position sense with an active repositioning test on an isokinetic dynamometer. Muscle strength and fatigue indexes were determined isokinetically for the knee flexors and extensors. RESULTS: During the fatigue protocol, people with multiple sclerosis produced lower total workloads than healthy control, although fatigue indexes were similar. After fatigue, both groups showed increased cadence and reduced gait cycle duration, while gait speed increased only in people with multiple sclerosis. Knee position sense deteriorated bilaterally in people with multiple sclerosis and on the non-dominant side in healthy control. CONCLUSION: Localized knee muscle fatigue altered knee position sense and gait in both groups, with no significant group×time interaction, though the small control group warrants caution. Similar fatigue indices despite lower total work warrant cautious interpretation of the Cybex fatigue index, given its dependence on baseline torque. As proprioceptive acuity declined transiently after localized knee muscle fatigue, clinicians may consider performing balance- or coordination-demanding tasks beforehand in people with multiple sclerosis.
Language: English
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7224902148