The feasibility and short-term benefits of Blue Prescription: a novel intervention to enable physical activity for people with multiple sclerosis.

PURPOSE: Participation in physical activity for people with Multiple sclerosis (MS) is important but can be difficult to sustain long-term. Facilitators for long-term adherence include choice over activity and control over level of engagement, coupled with support, advice and encouragement from a physiotherapist. This is the basis of Blue Prescription, a novel physiotherapy approach aimed at optimising long-term adherence with physical activity. We evaluated the feasibility and short-term benefits of Blue Prescription in people with MS. METHODS: Twenty-seven people with MS (mean age: 51 ± 11 years, with a range of MS type and disability) were assessed at baseline and immediately post-intervention with the MS Impact Scale, MS Self-efficacy Scale, and European Quality of Life Questionnaire. Change in outcomes were analysed with Wilcoxon signed ranks tests. RESULTS: All participants, irrespective of level of disability, were able to choose a physical activity and to engage in it. The physical component MS Impact Scale score significantly improved by a median change of 6.5 (95% CI = -10.5 to -2.0; p = 0.007; effect size = 0.38). There were no other significant changes in outcomes. CONCLUSION: Blue Prescription appears feasible and potentially beneficial, particularly in reducing the negative impacts of MS upon individuals, and thus warrants further evaluation.

Dysfluency and involuntary movements: a new look at developmental stuttering.

Studies using modern imaging techniques suggest that, in developmental stuttering, there is dysfunction within the cortical and subcortical areas of the motor control system wider than that pertaining to speech motor control alone. If this is the case, one might expect motor deficits extending beyond and unrelated to the production of speech in people who stutter. This study explored this proposal by investigating the presence and characteristics of involuntary movements accompanying stuttering. Sixteen adults with developmental stuttering and 16 controls matched for age and sex were audio-videotaped during 5 minutes of conversational speech and reading a passage of 350 words. Audio-data were examined for dysfluencies. Movements of the face, head and upper body considered involuntary and not part of normal facial expression or gesture and not part of the mechanics of speech were identified and described from muted video-data. Subjects who stuttered had a higher proportion of classic (within-word) dysfluencies accompanied by involuntary movements (IMs) than controls during speech (24.4% vs. 4.5%, p = .054) and reading (28.6% vs. 4.9%, p = .033). There was no difference in proportion of classic dysfluencies accompanied by IMs between speech and reading for either group. IMs were also seen in both groups during fluent speech, with a similar incidence during free speech (3.9% vs. 3.0%, NS) but a greater incidence in the subjects who stuttered during reading (2.4% vs. 0.8%, p = .03). In contrast, there was no difference between the two groups for IMs accompanying normal (between-word) dysfluencies. This suggests that classic and normal dysfluency and their accompanying IMs have different etiologies. The notion that stuttering and IMs are due to altered function in a motor control system wider than that of speech motor control alone is supported by a higher incidence of IMs in people who stutter during both classic dysfluencies and fluent speech.