SynthesisJournal of neurology2025
Effects of exercise on fatigue and quality of life in multiple sclerosis: a network meta-analysis and systematic review.
Synthesis in Journal of neurology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Scaling up an Evidence-Based Exercise Intervention for Wide-Scale Implementation: A Conceptual Roadmap Using the PRACTIS Framework.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to evaluate the effects of various physical therapy interventions on fatigue and quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
methodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane databases through April 1, 2025. Eligible RCTs compared different exercise interventions in MS patients, focusing on fatigue and quality of life outcomes. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Standardized mean difference (SMD) was used as the effect size, and surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was applied to rank interventions. Subgroup and heterogeneity analyses were also performed.
resultsThis network meta-analysis included 31 randomized controlled trials involving 1,232 patients with multiple sclerosis. Exercise interventions were overall superior to conventional treatment in alleviating fatigue, with resistance training showing the most significant effect (SMD = - 0.91, p = 0.023). Subgroup analyses indicated that resistance training significantly reduced fatigue in both relapsing-remitting MS and female patients. Interventions lasting more than eight weeks, particularly resistance training and hippotherapy, demonstrated greater benefits. No overall improvement in quality of life was observed; however, female patients experienced significant improvement following resistance training.
conclusionsResistance training appears to be the most effective intervention for improving fatigue and quality of life in MS patients, especially in women and during long-term programs. Hippotherapy and coordination training also show promise but require further high-quality trials for validation.
Indexed as
Identifiers
40920222What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.