In relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, preserved functional mobility as measured by the six-minute walk test, rather than daily physical activity intensity, appears to be more closely associated with quality of life, highlighting the clinical relevance of performance-based walking measures.
RAND-36 and 15D quality of life scores were significantly lower in RRMS patients compared to healthy controls.
Disability (EDSS) showed moderate to strong negative correlations with all quality of life measures.
Six-minute walk test (6MWT) performance was significantly associated with all three quality of life measures.
Intensity-based physical activity measures (MVPA/MVPS) showed no significant association with quality of life.
Daily step count was associated with the mental component of quality of life but not with physical or overall QoL measures.
The study employed multiple validated assessment tools to capture functional, physical, and psychological dimensions in RRMS patients.
This research examined how physical activity, walking ability, and disability relate to quality of life in 41 people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), compared to 20 healthy individuals. The study found that people with RRMS reported significantly lower quality of life — both physically and mentally — than healthy controls, and that those with higher disability levels had even lower quality of life scores. The degree of disability (measured by the EDSS scale) was strongly linked to poorer quality of life across all measures used in the study. A key finding was that how well someone could walk — specifically their performance on a six-minute walk test — was associated with better quality of life in all domains, including physical health, mental health, and overall wellbeing. In contrast, measures of how intensely people exercised during the week (such as time spent in moderate-to-vigorous activity) showed no significant relationship with quality of life. Daily step count was only weakly linked to the mental health component of quality of life. This research suggests that maintaining functional walking ability may matter more for quality of life in people with RRMS than simply being physically active at higher intensities. This highlights the potential clinical importance of monitoring and supporting walking performance — using tests like the six-minute walk test — as part of MS care, rather than focusing solely on general exercise volume or intensity.
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Upload Your LabsLuostarinen M, Portaankorva A, Urpilainen P, Takala S, Venojärvi M. (2026). Walking performance is associated with quality of life and disability in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.. Multiple sclerosis and related disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msard.2026.107875