Training and Energy Management Education to Improve Quality of Life in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis

June 9, 2022 updated by: Jens Bansi, Klinik Valens

High Intensity Training and Energy Management Education vs. Standard Training and Muscle Relaxation, to Improve Quality of Life in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis, a Randomized Controlled Superiority Trial With Six Months' Follow-up

Persons with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) often suffer from impaired mobility and reduced aerobic capacity. Moreover, 65% of PwMS recognize fatigue as their most disabling symptom that quickly impacts patients' health-related quality of life (QoL). Systematic reviews that evaluate therapeutic options for MS-neurorehabilitation show good evidence for exercise and energy management/conservation programs to improve fatigue or its impact on daily life. Guidelines recommend a multidisciplinary approach but to date only unimodal interventions are investigated. This study aims to investigate the influence of the combination of two different therapeutic concepts: inpatient energy management education (IEME) + High-intensity interval training (HIIT). This intervention is compared with a control group that undergoes progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) + low-intensity training (ST). IEME or PMR is performed on two days (tue-thur) and HIIT or ST on three days (mo-wed-fr) / week. The primary outcome is the effect on the quality of life after three weeks rehabilitation and after returning home (at 4 and 6 months follow-up) in PwMS.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
106

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Switzerland
    • Sankt Gallen
      • Valens, Sankt Gallen, Switzerland, 7317
        • Kliniken-Valens

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Definite MS diagnosis (revised McDonald criteria, 2018).
  • Age >18y
  • Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score ≤ 6.5
  • Fatigue Scale of Motor and Cognitive function (FSMC) total score > 43
  • Literacy and understanding German
  • Informed Consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding / have the intention to become pregnant during the course of the study
  • Other clinically significant concomitant disease states (e.g., renal failure, hepatic dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, etc.)
  • Known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse
  • Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, psychological disorders, dementia, etc. of the participant
  • Enrolment of the investigator, his/her family members, employees and other dependent persons
  • Cognitive impairment Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) < 21
  • Major Depression or Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) >11 at baseline
  • Stem cell treatment in the last 6 months
  • Participation in a previous high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or inpatient energy management education (IEME) study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: DOUBLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
EXPERIMENTAL: High-intensity interval training + energy management education
  • High-intensity interval training (HIIT): physiologically defined heart rate-controlled cycling with 80-100 rounds per minute (rpm) at 95-100% of maximum heart rate (HRmax). Participants will perform 5 × 1.5-min high-intensive exercise bouts at 95-100% of their HRmax followed by active breaks of unloaded pedalling over 2 min with the aim to achieve 60% of HRmax.
  • Energy management education (IEME): face-to-face education sessions of 6.5 h in duration over a 3-week period, all conducted by a trained occupational therapist. Participants acquire knowledge and understanding about factors that influence energy and the consequences of fatigue on their habits and lifestyle. Six weeks after returning home, the participants will receive a reinforcement letter in the form of information material to remember the content of the IEME and to reinforce the implementation of the behaviour change in managing energy.
Behavioral: Endurance Training
Treatment in both arms consists of specific endurance exercise modalities (HIIT or ST). Treatments differ in the applied training intensities. Participants in both arms will exercise 3 times per week over a period of 3 weeks on a bicycle ergometer. Exercise sessions will be supervised by a trained physical therapist. Exercise intensity will be heart rate monitored based on the maximum heart rate (HRmax) assessed during the initial cardiopulmonary exercise test. Exercise sessions in both arms will include a warm-up and a cool-down period at low intensity (50% HRmax) for 3 min each.
Behavioral: Education
Treatment in both arms consists of specific energy management education interventions (IEME or PMR). Treatments differ in the applied education approaches. Participants in both arms will exercise 2 times per week over a period of 3 weeks.
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Low-intensity training + progressive muscle relaxation
  • Low-intensity training (ST): participants will exercise for 24 min continuously at 65% of participants' HRmax (60-70 rpm).
  • Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR): The aim of PMR is to achieve enhanced mental relaxation by reducing muscle tension. Participants will attend six 1-h group sessions over the 3-week intervention period, instructed by a trained physical therapist. Six weeks after returning home, the participants will receive a reinforcement letter with information material for remembering the content of the PMR techniques and to reinforce the implementation of the exercises at home.
Behavioral: Endurance Training
Treatment in both arms consists of specific endurance exercise modalities (HIIT or ST). Treatments differ in the applied training intensities. Participants in both arms will exercise 3 times per week over a period of 3 weeks on a bicycle ergometer. Exercise sessions will be supervised by a trained physical therapist. Exercise intensity will be heart rate monitored based on the maximum heart rate (HRmax) assessed during the initial cardiopulmonary exercise test. Exercise sessions in both arms will include a warm-up and a cool-down period at low intensity (50% HRmax) for 3 min each.
Behavioral: Education
Treatment in both arms consists of specific energy management education interventions (IEME or PMR). Treatments differ in the applied education approaches. Participants in both arms will exercise 2 times per week over a period of 3 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Short-form 36 (SF-36)
Time Frame: 6 months (day 0 - day 183) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and 4 months (day 122).
Changes of health-related quality of life will be assessed with the SF-36. The SF-36 questionnaire comprises 36 items. Scores range from 0 to 100 with higher values indicating better QoL.
6 months (day 0 - day 183) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and 4 months (day 122).

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Indicators of inflammatory activity
Time Frame: Three weeks (day 0 - day 21).
Soluble factors that are known to be produced or secreted in response to exercise and are suspected to modify immune homeostasis and blood brain barrier function through their inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Changes of Matrix-metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), Tryptophan, Kynurenine, Kynurenine acid, Interferon-gamma (IFN-Gamma) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6) will be assessed. Higher values indicate higher levels of Inflammation.
Three weeks (day 0 - day 21).
Cardiorespiratory Fitness
Time Frame: Three weeks (day 0 - day 21).
Changes of cardiorespiratory fitness will be measured by peak oxygen consumption achieved in the cardiopulmonary exercise test. Higher values indicate better cardiorespiratory fitness.
Three weeks (day 0 - day 21).
Self-efficacy in performing energy conservation strategies (SEPECSA)
Time Frame: Six months (day 0 - day 183) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and after 4 months (day 122).
Changes of self-efficacy in performing energy conservation strategies will be assessed with a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 14 items. The participants are asked to rank how confident they are that they can perform each item on a scale from 1 (= not at all confident/sure) to 10 (= completely confident/sure). The final score is found by adding the total items' score and dividing it by 14, with higher scores indicating greater confidence in self-efficacy.
Six months (day 0 - day 183) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and after 4 months (day 122).
Self-perceived competence in activities of daily living (OSA)
Time Frame: Six months (day 0 - day 21) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and four months (day 122).
Changes of self-perceived competence are assessed with a self reported questionnaire. The questionnaire consists of 21 items that represent participation in habits and roles, performance of skills, and volition for participation. Participants rate each item with two 4-point likert scales to indicate their self-perception of occupational competence (I have a lot of problems doing this - I have some difficulty doing this - I do this well - I do this extremely well) and value for importance (This is not so important to me - This is important to me - This is more important to me - This is most important to me). Following these two steps, clients review their ratings and choose areas of occupational performance and participation that they would like to change. Higher scores indicate better competences.
Six months (day 0 - day 21) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and four months (day 122).
Fatigue Scale of motor and cognitive function (FSMC)
Time Frame: Six months (day 0 - day 183) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and four months (day 122).
Changes of motor and cognitive fatigue are assessed on a 5-point likert-scale. Max 50 Points for subscales, 100 Points for the Total score. Cut-off for fatigue is set for the total score at 43 and for the motoric and cognitive subscores at 22 with higher values participants being more fatigued.
Six months (day 0 - day 183) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and four months (day 122).
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
Time Frame: 6 months (day 0 - day 183) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and four months (day 122).
Changes of anxiety and depression over three weeks training on a 4-point likert scale scored 0-3. Max 21 Points for each subscale, cut off for anxiety and Depression are set at 7 Points higher values represent more anxiety and Depression.
6 months (day 0 - day 183) with time points set after three weeks (day 21) and four months (day 122).

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Klinik Valens

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
German Sport University, Cologne
University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (ACTUAL)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 13, 2020

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
May 11, 2022

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
May 11, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 14, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 17, 2020

First Posted (ACTUAL)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 22, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 10, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 9, 2022

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2020-000769

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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