Benefits of self-paced concurrent training on lung function, cardiopulmonary fitness and fatigue perception in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Aim: Studying the effects of self-paced concurrent high-intensity interval training and resistance training (HIIT-RT) on respiratory function, cardiopulmonary fitness and fatigue perception in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Methods: Twenty-three PwMS were randomized into a 12-week training group (three times per week) (TG, n = 11) or a control group (CG, n = 12). Lung function (spirometry), aerobic capacity (graded cardiopulmonary-exercise-testing) and perceived fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)) were evaluated pre- and post-intervention. Results: The forced vital capacity ( p  = 0.036, Hedges'g (g) = 0.93), forced expiratory time ( p  = 0.045, g = 0.88), peak expiratory flow ( p  = 0.043, g = 0.89) increased in TG compared with CG. The TG showed an increase in peak aerobic power ( p  = 0.004, g = 1.34) and peak oxygen uptake ( p  < 0.001, g = 2.58) compared with CG. There was a decrease in ventilatory equivalent for carbon dioxide ( p  = 0.02, g = 1.02) and FSS scores ( p  < 0.001, g = 1.72) in TG comparatively with CG. Conclusion: 12-week self-paced HIIT-RT enhanced lung function as well as aerobic fitness, and alleviated fatigue perception in PwMS.