Endurance tests can detect nerve disease early

MUSCLE endurance tests can detect abormalities in the early stages of multiple sclerosis, according to the latest findings, reveals a study.

Multiple sclerosis (MS), a neurodegenerative disease, is characterised by symptoms such as loss of balance, muscle spasms, numbness or abnormal sensation in any area, problems of moving arms or legs etc.

While MS patients’ walking abilities and muscle strength are examined on a regular basis, doctors have yet to determine when the lower limb muscles begin to deteriorate, the Journal of Neurologic Physiotherapy reported.

Researcher Alon Kalron and fellow researchers from Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine, have discovered that specific lab tests for the pattern of movement while walking or running are highly effective in identifying mobility deficits at the initial stage of MS.

They are difficult to discover during standard tests. According to Kalron, patients in the early stages of MS had 40 per cent less muscle endurance compared to their healthy counterparts, said a university statement.

Reduced muscle endurance may be one of the earliest signs of MS and is a common complaint among patients, but it is hard to detect, said Kalron.

Kalron based his findings on a study that included 52 patients in the early stage of MS, and a control group of 28 healthy subjects.