Arm Swing During Walking in Early Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common central nervous system inflammatory demyelinating disease which causes motor and sensory deficits, cerebellar symptoms, and balance problems. Due to these symptoms, gait abnormalities are common in MS, even in patients with low degrees of impairment. The upper limb has an important role on postural control and gait stability. Affected arm swing movement and asymmetry during gait are common in neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD) even in early stages of the disease and arm swing treatment has been acknowledged to enhance gait and normalize arm swing in individuals with PD. The presence of arm swing changes during walking in MS patients, similar to PD, especially in the early period, may be an indicator of balance problems, this was, however, not investigated as such. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to assess the arm swing during gait in people with MS shortly after their diagnosis in early MS.