An Investigation of Upper Extremity Function in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis, and Its Relation With Shoulder Position Sense and Disability Level

The purposes of this study is to investigate the relationship between upper extremity muscle function and shoulder position sense in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and which best projects the disability status.

Upper extremity dysfunction is considered to be the main cause of the loss performance of activities of daily living and this problem was include all motor and somatosensory components of function. Any failure in each of these components will likely create an impairment in the normal function.

One of the most important components of the somatosensory system is joint position sense, a sub-modality of proprioception. Position sense disorders are seen from the early stages of the disease and upper extremity function problems is experienced depending on position sense disorders in patients with MS.

Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) is one of the most commonly outcome measures in evaluating the level of disability in MS population. Because EDSS scale emphasis on ambulation, so it is insensitive to upper extremity function. But the ability to use walking aids (e.g., canes, walkers, wheelchairs, etc.) may be affected by the UE impairment so shoulder position sense.

When literature is examined, there is no study which examines the relationship between upper extremity muscle function and shoulder position sense in patients with Multiple Sclerosis and which best projects the disability status. For all these reasons, we think that shoulder position sense is changed both dominant and non-dominant side during flexion and abduction movements in mild-moderate MS patients and that these deficits are correlated with upper extremity function and disability level.