Table 2.
Studies analyzing the effects of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait in patients with multiple sclerosis.
| Author | Research question(s)/hypothesis | Sample description, age: (M ±SD) | PEDro score | Assessment | Research design | Auditory signal characteristics | Conclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahraki et al. (69) | Effects of auditory cueing on gait in patients affected from multiple sclerosis | Exp: 7F, 2M (40.3 ± 6.6) Ct: 7F, 2M (38.1 ± 12.1) | 4 | Stride length, stride time, double support time, cadence & gait velocity | Pre-test, gait training with rhythmic auditory cueing at +10% of preferred cadence for 30 min/session, 3 times/week for 3 weeks, post-test | Rhythmic metronome cueing at +10% of preferred cadence | Significant enhancement in stride length, gait speed, cadence in Exp as compared to Ct & after training with auditory cueing. Significant reduction in stride time & double support time after training with auditory cueing. Significantly reduced stride time in Exp as compared to Ct. |
| Seebacher et al. (70) | Effects of rhythmic auditory cueing and motor imagery on gait in patients affected from multiple sclerosis | Exp I: 25F, 9M (43.8) Exp II: 29F, 5M (45.4) Ct: 31F, 2M (43.1) | 7 | Timed 25-foot walk test, 6-min walk test, multiple sclerosis walking scale 12, modified fatigue impact scale, short-form 36 health survey, multiple sclerosis impact scale 29 & Euroquol 5D 3L questionnaire | Pre-test, motor imagery training (internal gait simulation with fast gait, wider steps…) with rhythmic auditory cueing for 17 min session, 6 times/week for 4 weeks, post-test | Rhythmic auditory cueing at preferred cadence Exp I: Instrumental music: cueing at 2/4, 4/4 meter, emphasis on 1st & 3rd beat. Exp II: metronome cueing at 2/4, 4/4 meter, emphasis on 1st & 3rd beat. Rhythmic verbal cues by researcher (heel off, toe off…) | Significant enhancement in 6-min walking distance in both Exp I & II after receiving auditory cueing, as compared to Ct. Significant reduction in timed 25-foot walking time, modified fatigue impact scale in both Exp I & II after receiving auditory cueing, as compared to Ct. However, Exp I had better benefits as compared to Exp II. Significant enhancement in short-form 36 health survey, multiple sclerosis impact scale 29 & Euroquol 5D 3L questionnaire i.e., quality of life, in both Exp I & II after receiving auditory cueing, as compared to Ct. However, Exp I had better benefits as compared to Exp II. |
| Seebacher et al. (71) | Effects of rhythmic auditory cueing and motor imagery on gait in patients affected from multiple sclerosis | Exp I: 10F (47.3) Exp II: 7F, 3M (41.8) Ct: 5F, 5M (46.1) | 6 | Timed 25-foot walk test, 6-min walk test, modified fatigue impact scale | Pre-test, motor imagery training (internal gait simulation with fast gait, wider steps…) with rhythmic auditory cueing for 17 min session, 6 times/week for 4 weeks, post-test | Rhythmic auditory cueing at preferred cadence Exp I: Instrumental music: cueing at 2/4, 4/4 meter, emphasis on 1st & 3rd beat. Exp II: metronome cueing at 2/4, 4/4 meter, emphasis on 1st & 3rd beat. Rhythmic verbal cues by researcher (heel off, toe off…) | Significant enhancement in 6-min walking distance in both Exp I & II after receiving auditory cueing, as compared to Ct. Significant reduction in timed 25-foot walking time, modified fatigue impact scale in both Exp I & II after receiving auditory cueing, as compared to Ct. |
| Conklyn et al. (41) | Effect of rhythmic auditory cueing on gait in patients affected from multiple sclerosis | Exp: 3F, 2M (47 ± 10.5) Ct: 4F, 1M (50.2 ± 5.4) | 5 | Functional ambulation performance, double support percentage (right/left), cadence, stride length (right/left), gait velocity, step length (right & left), norm velocity & timed 25-foot walking test | Exp: Pre-test, gait performance for 20 min per day for 4 weeks with rhythmic auditory cueing increased by 10% of attained cadence on every evaluation of test, post-tests at week 1, week 2, week 3, week 6 Ct: same procedure but rhythmic auditory cueing only for 2 latter weeks | Rhythmic auditory cueing in music at +10% of preferred cadence on each evaluation post-test | Significant enhancement in cadence, stride length (right/left), gait velocity, step length (right & left), norm velocity after training with rhythmic auditory cueing for 1 week. Significant reduction in double support percentage (right/left) in Exp as compared to Ct. |
| Baram and Miller (42) | Effect of auditory on gait in patients affected from Multiple sclerosis | Exp: 10F, 4M (48.5 ± 8) Ct: 6F, 5M (25.4 ± 1.9) | 4 | Gait velocity, stride length, 10 m walking test | Pre-test, followed by rhythmic auditory cueing & 10 min follow-up short term residual performance test | Rhythmic auditory cueing modified in real-time with steps | Significant enhancement in gait speed & stride length with rhythmic auditory cueing. Significant enhancement in short-term residual performance with auditory cueing. |