Countermovement Jumps Detect Subtle Motor Deficits in People with Multiple Sclerosis below the Clinical Threshold

Anne Geßner; Heidi Stölzer-Hutsch; Katrin Trentzsch; Dirk Schriefer; Tjalf Ziemssen

doi:10.3390/biomedicines11030774

Countermovement Jumps Detect Subtle Motor Deficits in People with Multiple Sclerosis below the Clinical Threshold

Biomedicines. 2023 Mar 3;11(3):774. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11030774.

Authors

Anne Geßner¹, Heidi Stölzer-Hutsch¹, Katrin Trentzsch¹, Dirk Schriefer¹, Tjalf Ziemssen¹

Affiliation

¹ Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurological Clinic, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, 01307 Dresden, Germany.

Abstract

In the early stages of multiple sclerosis (MS), there are currently no sensitive assessments to evaluate complex motor functions. The countermovement jump (CMJ), a high-challenge task in form of a maximal vertical bipedal jump, has already been investigated as a reliable assessment in healthy subjects for lower extremity motor function. The aim was to investigate whether it is possible to use CMJ to identify subthreshold motor deficits in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). All participants (99 pwMS and 33 healthy controls) performed three maximal CMJs on a force plate. PwMS with full motor function and healthy controls (HC) did not differ significantly in age, disease duration, Body Mass Index and the Expanded Disability Scale Score. In comparison to HC, pwMS with full motor function demonstrated a significantly decreased CMJ performance in almost all observed kinetic, temporal and performance parameters (p < 0.05). With increasing disability in pwMS, it was also observed that jump performance decreased significantly. This study showed that the CMJ, as a high challenge task, could detect motor deficits in pwMS below the clinical threshold of careful neurological examination. Longitudinal studies are pending to evaluate whether the CMJ can be used as a standardized measure of disease progression.

Keywords: assessment; countermovement jump; jump analysis; motor deficits; multiple sclerosis.

Grants and funding

The Article Processing Charges (APC) were funded by the joint publication fund of the TU Dresden, the Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, and the SLUB Dresden.