Abstract

Background

Approximately 60% of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) suffer from upper limb dysfunction. Our primary goal is to implement a single-blind, randomized control trial (RCT) designed to compare the effectiveness of an 8-week home-based telerehab virtual reality (VR) program with conventional therapy in PwMS with manual dexterity difficulties. Secondary aims include (a) evaluating the impact of the programs on quality of life after the intervention and a follow-up 1 month later and (b) evaluating the impact of the programs on adherence and satisfaction.

Methods

Twenty-four PwMS will be recruited to the study which will be conducted at two established MS centers: (1) The Regional Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis, Binaghi Hospital, Cagliari, Italy, and (2) The Multiple Sclerosis Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel. Participants will complete a total of three assessments focusing on upper limb functions. Both groups will receive 16 training sessions focusing on functional upper limb activities. The home-based telerehab VR intervention will comprise a custom-made software program running on a private computer or laptop. PwMS will perform several activities of daily living (ADL) functions associated with self-care, dressing, and meal preparation. Conventional therapy will focus on task-related upper-limb treatments while in a sitting position, indicative of the standard care in MS. Following 8 weeks of training, participants will complete a further outcome assessment. The same tests will be conducted 1 month (as a follow-up) after completion of the intervention.

Discussion

The outcomes of this study have tremendous potential to improve the quality of evidence and informed decisions of functional upper limb activities in PwMS. If comparable results are found between the treatments in improving upper limb outcomes, this would suggest that PwMS can choose the program that best meets their personal needs, e.g., financial concerns, transportation, or accessibility issues. Secondly, this information can be used by healthcare providers and medical professionals in developing upper limb exercise programs that will most likely succeed in PwMS.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04032431. Registered on 19 July 2019.

Details

Title
The effect of a telerehabilitation virtual reality intervention on functional upper limb activities in people with multiple sclerosis: a study protocol for the TEAMS pilot randomized controlled trial
Author
Kalron, Alon 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Achiron, Anat 2 ; Pau, Massimiliano 3 ; Cocco, Eleonora 4 

1  Tel-Aviv University, Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv, Israel (GRID:grid.12136.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0546); Tel-Aviv University, Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv, Israel (GRID:grid.12136.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0546) 
2  Sheba Medical Center, Multiple Sclerosis Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel (GRID:grid.413795.d) (ISNI:0000 0001 2107 2845); Tel-Aviv University, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv, Israel (GRID:grid.12136.37) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0546) 
3  University of Cagliari, Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, Cagliari, Italy (GRID:grid.7763.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 1755 3242) 
4  University of Cagliari, Multiple Sclerosis Center, Binaghi Hospital, Department of Medical Science and Public Health, Cagliari, Italy (GRID:grid.7763.5) (ISNI:0000 0004 1755 3242) 
Pages
713
Publication year
2020
Publication date
Dec 2020
Publisher
Springer Nature B.V.
e-ISSN
17456215
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04650-2
ProQuest document ID
2812327261
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.