Int J Physiother Res 2020;8(5):3555-62. ISSN 2321-1822 3555 Original Research Article CORRELATION BETWEEN SPASTICITY AND WEAKNESS OF THE LOWER LIMBS WITH FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS Taís Panizzi Dilda 1 , Alessandro Finkelsztejn 2 , Luciano Palmeiro Rodrigues * 3 . 1 Specialization Course in Physiotherapy in Neurofunctional Physiotherapy at the Federal Univer- sity of Rio Grande do Sul – UFRGS - Rua Felizardo, 750 - Bairro Jardim Botânico - Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil - CEP 90690-200 2 Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre. Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2350 - Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre - RS, 90035-007 * 3 Physiotherapy Course at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul UFRGS; PhD in Neuro- science - UFRGS. Rua Felizardo, 750 - Bairro Jardim Botânico - Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil - CEP 90690-200 Background: Individuals affected by Multiple Sclerosis (MS) present weakness in the lower limbs (LL), abnormal muscle tone and fatigue. Aims: To correlate the spasticity and weakness of lower limbs with fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis patients. Methods: The study is the ex post fact type with a correlational design, performed with patients MS. A total of 45 individuals were evaluated. The Modified Fatigue Impact Scale in MS (MFIS) was used to asses fatigue; the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) for lower limb (LL) spasticity and the 5-repetition sit-to-stand (5STS) test to characterize the strength of LL. Results: The mean of MFIS was 42.76 (±19.65) points, indicating the presence of fatigue among the patients and in the 5 STS-test the average was 15.37 (±5.89) which chacacterized them with decreased muscle strength. Thirty- nine patients had some degree of spasticity in the lower limbs (86.66%). There was a positive correlation between fatigue and muscle strength of LL (r = 0.412 and p <0.05) and between fatigue and spasticity of adductors muscles (r =0.295) (p<0.049). Conclusions: Muscle strength of lower limbs is related to fatigue in MS patients demonstrating that the higher the muscle strength, the lower the presence of this symptom in multiple sclerosis patients. KEY WORDS: Multiple Sclerosis, Muscle Spasticity, Muscular Strength, Fatigue, Physiotherapy. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Address for correspondence: Luciano Palmeiro Rodrigues, Rua Felizardo, 750 - Bairro Jardim Botânico - Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil - CEP 90690-200 E-Mail: lucianopalmeiro@gmail.com International Journal of Physiotherapy and Research, Int J Physiother Res 2020, Vol 8(5):3555-52. ISSN 2321-1822 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijpr.2020.147 Access this Article online Quick Response code International Journal of Physiotherapy and Research ISSN (E) 2321-1822 | ISSN (P) 2321-8975 https://www.ijmhr.org/ijpr.html DOI-Prefix: https://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijpr DOI: 10.16965/ijpr.2020.147 Received: 21 Jun 2020 Peer Review: 22 Jun 2020 Revised: None Accepted: 12 Aug 2020 Published (O): 11 Sep 2020 Published (P): 11 Oct 2020 Journal Information Article Information location of the injury, there may be changes in sensitivity, muscle weakness, decreased re- flexes, muscle spasms, difficulty in performing movements, lack of coordination and balance, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) symptoms depend on the region where the specific injury to the Central Nervous System (CNS) occurs. Depending on the