The impact of anti-gravity treadmill training on quality of life in patients with motor neurone disease: A pilot study

This document contains the anonymous data collected during our pilot study on the use of anti-gravity treadmill training for people living with motor neurone disease.

Objective: Exercise programmes should be considered for people living with motor neuron disease (MND) to maintain joint movement, reduce stiffness, and maintain function. Traditional treadmill training is inappropriate for this patient cohort due to the fall risk. However, anti-gravity treadmill technology could provide a safe environment to train gait for symptom management. This study aimed to investigate the impact of anti-gravity treadmill training on the quality of life of people living with MND.

Participants: Five people with a clinical diagnosis of MND.

Intervention: Three 30-minute training sessions on an anti-gravity treadmill over a 5-week period.

Main measures: At the first and last visit, self-reported quality of life was recorded via the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire (ALSAQ-40) and Short Form-12 (SF-12) questionnaire. Sit-to-stand assessments were also performed at these visits.