Endurance exercises to strengthen foot muscles may help MS patients who experience difficulty walking due to "foot drop," a new study shows.

The trial included five patients with MS and foot drop, which is a condition where the foot drags during the swing phase of walking, and five same-aged comparison subjects. All participants completed four sets of 10 isometric contractions of foot muscles three times per week for eight weeks. Before and after the exercise period, the researchers measured the strength of the foot dorsiflexors, which are muscles that help flex the toes up.

According to the results, two of the five subjects with MS demonstrated significant improvement in muscles endurance in both legs. These subjects also showed significant improvement in dorsiflexor control during walking.

The researchers did not find a relationship between fatigue of the central nervous system and improved endurance, suggesting that central nervous system fatigue may not be useful in predicting whether a muscle will improve endurance with exercise.

The investigators also noted that one of the participants with significant improvement in endurance had a significant decrease in central activation failure.

"For individuals with foot drop secondary to MS, endurance exercises for the dorsiflexors can result in improved walking," the authors wrote. "Improvement may result from either a peripheral training effect, a central learning effect, or both."

Complete study findings can be found in the May issue of Neurorehabilitation.

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