Maintaining Physical Activity Tied to Better Quality of Life With Multiple Sclerosis

THURSDAY, Sept. 3, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Functional physical performance is positively associated with quality of life (QoL) in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to a study published online Aug. 23 in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Marko Luostarinen, Ph.D., from the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, and colleagues examined relationships between QoL, disability, and physical activity in 41 patients with RRMS (Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] scores of 0 to 5.5) and 20 healthy controls.

The researchers found that RAND‑36 and RAND-15 dimensional (15D) health scores were significantly lower in those with RRMS versus controls. A similar pattern was seen in patients with RRMS with high versus low EDSS scores. There was a strong association between disability and lower QoL, with moderate-to-strong negative correlations between EDSS and the RAND physical component summary score (ρ = −0.663; P < 0.001), RAND mental component summary score (ρ = −0.694; P < 0.001), and 15D (ρ = −0.822; P < 0.001). There was no association seen for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity or processing speed and QoL. However, daily step count was associated with the RAND mental component summary score (r = 0.320; P = 0.050). Six-minute walk test performance also was associated with all QoL measures (RAND physical component summary: r = 0.357, P = 0.024; RAND mental component summary: r = 0.410, P = 0.009; 15D: r = 0.460, P = 0.003).

“These findings reinforce previous research and highlight the potential benefits of maintaining an active lifestyle,” Luostarinen said in a statement. “The results may help health care professionals encourage people with MS to increase their daily activity levels to support better quality of life.”

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