Comparing the effect of Cawthorne-Cooksey and Frenkel exercises on balance in patients with multiple sclerosis: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of Cawthorne-Cooksey and Frenkel exercises on balance in patients with multiple sclerosis.

DESIGN: It was a three-arm parallel randomized controlled trial study.

SETTING: Outpatient clinic.

SUBJECTS: Patients with multiple sclerosis.

INTERVENTIONS: Subjects in the intervention groups completed a 12-week program consisted of Cawthorne-Cooksey or Frenkel exercises. The control group only received routine care.

MAIN MEASURES: The outcome measure was the Berg Balance Scale.

RESULTS: Seventy-two patients completed the study. At the end of the intervention, there was a statistically significant improvement in Berg Balance Scale in the Cawthorne-Cooksey group ( n = 24) in comparison with the other two groups ( P = 0.001). In the Frenkel group ( n = 23), the improvement was statistically greater than the changes in the control group ( n = 25), but it did not appear to be clinically significant. The Berg Balance Scale score increased to 8.9 in the Cawthorne-Cooksey group and 2.3 in the Frenkel group, while it decreased to 1.2 in the control group. When comparing inter-group changes, Berg Balance Scale showed significant improvements in favor of the Cawthorne-Cooksey group after the intervention ( P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that in comparison with Frenkel and the control groups, a program of Cawthorne-Cooksey exercise is more effective in improving balance in patients with multiple sclerosis.