Impact of Adding Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Supervised Pilates-based Core Stability Training on Balance and Walking in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by widespread demyelinating lesions and neurodegeneration in the central nervous system, leading to muscle weakness and compromised sensory-motor integration. Muscle weakness predominantly seen in lower extremities and decreased postural control deteriorate physical performance and gait function. Also , respiratory dysfunction and fatigue has been occurred. Optimal trunk control is provided by the somatosensory, motor, and musculoskeletal integrity, which is mostly damaged in MS. Core stability, is defined as the ability to control the position and movement of the trunk on the pelvis to allow optimum power and movement generation, transfer, and control in other segments. A decrease in core stability affects both trunk control and the quality of limb movements due to the kinetic chain in the body. Pilates-based core stability training (PBCST) is a controlled form of exercise used to improve the stabilization of the trunk muscles. The purpose of PBCST is to train the core muscles more effectively by using the basic principles of Pilates integrated into core stabilization exercises and the activation effect of breathing on deep muscles. Transversus abdominis (TrA) activation is crucial in this training. TrA is activated by a feed-forward mechanism of neuromuscular control before sudden spinal loads or limb movements and provides postural adaptation. Thus, effective TrA activation contributes to both distal mobility and postural control by increasing trunk stability (Freeman el al., 2012). We have recently developed a cognitive behavior therapy to explain MS fatigue that integrates the findings across biological and psychosocial research. This model proposes that primary disease factors trigger the initial symptom of fatigue in MS, and the fatigue is perpetuated or worsened depending . fifty patients with MS will be assigned randomly into two equal group; first one will receive cognitive behavioral therapy and pilates and the other will receive pilates only for eight weeks