Researchers in Canada have been studying a rehabilitation programme for a type of ataxia called ARSACS. The aim of their study was to see whether a rehabilitation programme could improve balance and walking abilities.
In the small exploratory study, a group of people with ARSACS had three exercise sessions per week for 8 weeks (two sessions at a rehabilitation gym, and one at a pool). All sessions were conducted in a group.
At the end of the study, most participants reported improvements related to balance, posture and functional mobility. These are encouraging results which show that a rehabilitation programme for people with ARSACS could have a positive effect.
The next step in this research is to conduct a larger study and to test the rehabilitation programme for people with other types of ataxia.
Read the full paper here.
