A Randomized Trial on the Novel Use of Treadmill Plus Music in Multiple Sclerosis Patients With Gate Impairnent

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by demyelination andaxonal loss of the central nervous system, which progressively results in neurologic dysfunction and is often accompanied by gaite limitations, reduced fitness, and increased risk of falls. Traditional exercises such as treadmill walking orstationary cycling can often be perceived as boring, because theseexercises usually involve repetitive, continuous movements. In recents years the positive effect of the auditory stimulus in the recovery of gait difficulties has been demonstrated in Parkinson's disease, however this methodology on MS patients has been poorly investigated. In addiction the neurophysiological mechanisms by which coupling steps with external auditory cues improves gait remain partially unclear. For this reason, our purpose is to investigate whether patients with MS, compared to the control group, may have improvements in motor and psychological well-being, through training with devices that integrate motor training with musical stimuli (Gait trainer).