title: Home-based physical telerehabilitation in patients with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study.
abstract: This study assessed feasibility and patient acceptance and estimated the magnitude of the clinical impact of physical telerehabilitation in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). We recruited 12 consecutive patients with a known diagnosis of MS. Each patient received a custom-tailored rehabilitative exercise program prescribed by a physical therapist during a clinic visit. The patients were guided by the home telecare units in following their individualized exercise plan. After the patients used the physical telerehabilitation system for 12 weeks, a statistically significant improvement was shown in a timed 25-foot walk (from 13.8 +/- 8.3 s to 11.3 +/- 5.4 s), 6-minute walk (from 683.3 +/- 463.8 ft to 806.5 +/- 415.0 ft), and Berg Balance Scale score (from 38.8 +/- 11.1 to 43.1 +/- 9.9) as compared with the baseline. (Values are shown as mean +/- standard deviation.) Patients were highly satisfied with the service. Home-based physical telerehabilitation can improve functional outcomes significantly in patients with MS.
authors.affiliation: Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence, Baltimore Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA. jfinkel9@jhmi.edu
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
authors.forename: Oleg
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lapshin
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Eunme
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Patricia G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Provance