U of R researchers will study progression of MS using iPhone app

Most people now track their steps using aFitBitor an app on their phone, but one University of Reginaprofessor thinks it could help shine a light on the progression of multiple sclerosis.

John Barden, associate professor with the faculty of kinesiology and health studies at the U of R, is currently recruiting people who have MS for a study he's conducting on walking patterns.

He will be giving them a simple walking test for about six minutes while recording all the steps they take using an iPhone app that records motion and the pattern associated with how they're moving

"The phone can sort of crunch the numbers for us," he said.

Saskatchewan has one of the highest rates of MS in Canada, and Barden wants to find out if there is a relationship between the consistency of how a person walks and the progression of the disease.

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"If we look at the consistency of that rhythm, for most of us it's pretty much the same," he said. "What's been shown in a number of different cases is this variability can increase and can change for a variety of different reasons."

While they suspect one of those reasons is MS, they want to prove it by comparing the steps of people with MS to normal adults without the condition.

If they can confirm there is a difference, they will look to find out if it changes as the disease progresses.

"That's something that's not known right now," he said.

"Hopefully that will give the individuals with MS, as well as their physicians, some information about how that disease is progressing that they might be able to get onto doing something about it sooner than if they have to wait six months for their next visit."