Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and restless legs syndrome in persons with multiple sclerosis

Katie L J Cederberg; Brenda Jeng; Jeffer E Sasaki; Tiffany J Braley; Arthur S Walters; Robert W Motl

doi:10.1016/j.jns.2019.116531

Physical activity, sedentary behavior, and restless legs syndrome in persons with multiple sclerosis

J Neurol Sci. 2019 Dec 15:407:116531. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2019.116531. Epub 2019 Oct 12.

Authors

Katie L J Cederberg¹, Brenda Jeng², Jeffer E Sasaki³, Tiffany J Braley⁴, Arthur S Walters⁵, Robert W Motl²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA(1). Electronic address: kcederb@uab.edu.
² Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA(1).
³ Department of Sport Sciences, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁵ Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.

Abstract

The present study examined the relationships among parameters (i.e., volume and pattern) of physical activity and sedentary behavior with the presence and severity of restless legs syndrome(RLS) in adults with multiple sclerosis(MS). Participants with MS (N = 253) wore an accelerometer for a 7-day period and completed the Cambridge-Hopkins Restless Legs Syndrome Questionnaire, the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group Scale (IRLS), and the Patient Determined Disease Steps scale. Sixty-six (26%) persons with MS had RLS (MS + RLS). There were no differences between the MS + RLS and MS group for parameters of physical activity or sedentary behavior. Among participants with IRLS scores in the mild range (n = 26), more time spent in light physical activity (r_s = 0.39), fewer sedentary bouts per day (r_s = 0.55), less time in sedentary bouts per day (r_s = 0.51), and fewer breaks in sedentary time per day (r_s = 0.57) were associated with lower RLS severity. This study represents the first step toward recognizing a relationship between physical activity, patterns of sedentary behavior, and RLS severity in MS and these results suggest that light physical activity and the pattern of sedentary behavior may be important targets for prospective behavioral interventions that target the management of RLS in persons with MS who have mild RLS severity.

Keywords: Multiple sclerosis; Physical activity; Restless legs syndrome; Sedentary behavior.

Published by Elsevier B.V.

MeSH terms

Aged
Exercise / physiology*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Multiple Sclerosis / complications
Multiple Sclerosis / physiopathology*
Restless Legs Syndrome / complications
Restless Legs Syndrome / diagnosis
Restless Legs Syndrome / physiopathology*
Sedentary Behavior*
Severity of Illness Index

Grants and funding

F31 HD097903/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/United States