Do gait patterns differ in men and women with multiple sclerosis?

Background Multiple Sclerosis (MS) affects men and women differently from several points of view: prevalence, severity of cognitive impairments and disability accumulation. However, it is unknown whether ambulatory dysfunctions are sex-related. This study investigated the existence of differences in spatio-temporal and kinematic parameters of gait in men and women with MS using 3D gait analysis. Methods Gait patterns of 60 people with MS (pwMS, 32F, 28M) with low to moderate disability (average Expanded Disability Status Scale score 3, range 1–5.5) who underwent a gait analysis in the period 2014–2017 were retrospectively analyzed to calculate spatio-temporal parameters of gait and kinematics in the sagittal plane at hip, knee and ankle joints. Results Significant differences between the groups were found in kinematics of gait. In particular, men exhibited reduced ankle plantar-flexion, increased knee flexion and hip flexion. In contrast, no differences were found in spatio-temporal parameters normalized by considering individuals’ anthropometry. Conclusions The findings of the present study highlight the need to investigate gait dysfunctions in pwMS taking sex into consideration. Such an approach might be useful not only in better understanding the pathophysiology of gait disturbances originated by MS, but also in supporting a better orientation of rehabilitative treatments.