Nov 11, 2008
National MS Society Awards Grants for Eighth Colorado-Based MS Research Project
Colorado Chapter
DENVER – The National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society has awarded a $44,000 grant to the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center and the University of Colorado Hospital MS Center to fund a novel MS rehabilitation-based treatment study that will investigate new ways to treat fatigue in people with MS using eye movement training, known as Vestibular Rehabilitation.
Margaret Schenkman PT, PhD, will lead this research study to determine the possible benefits Vestibular Rehabilitation may have on standing and balance issues that contribute to feelings of fatigue within the MS population. Currently there are no effective treatments for fatigue that do not include the use of medication. Additionally, no previous studies have ever linked eye movement training to improvement in standing and walking balance, resulting in less fatigue.
“Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms people with MS experience, “ said Carrie Nolan, president of the Colorado Chapter, National MS Society, which contributes substantial funds to the National MS Society’s research effort annually.
“This study is the eighth Colorado-based MS research project funded by the National MS Society, which is the largest private funder of MS research in the world. The Society currently funds more than 440 research efforts worldwide in support of our mission to find a cure for MS.
“The Society will invest nearly $50 million in 2008 to help take us to that goal and has funded $600 million cumulatively for MS research since awarding its first grants in 1947,” she added. “Many of the events the Colorado Chapter holds throughout the state each year, such as Bike MS and Walk MS, support these vital research efforts, which have resulted in enormous returns to the entire MS community.
“Until the early 1990s, there were no treatments for MS,” she emphasized. “However, due to the Society’s firm commitment to research, today there are six, FDA-approved disease modifying therapies available to stem the progression of this disease. As our chapter enters its 50th year of serving the Colorado MS community, we anticipate more breakthroughs on the horizon thanks to the generosity and support of the entire Colorado community,” she said.
The research team is currently recruiting participants for this rehabilitation-based study. Participants must be between 18- and 65-years-old, clinically confirmed with a MS diagnosis, able to walk more than 300 feet with no more than occasional use of a one-sided assistive device, such as a cane, and have complaints of fatigue and unsteadiness with standing and walking. For more information, call Jeff Hebert, PT, at 720-848-2029.