[Experience of remote rehabilitation for patients with multiple sclerosis].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of remote rehabilitation for non-exacerbating patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 17 patients, including 12 (70.6%) women and 5 (29.4%) men, with the established diagnosis of MS according to the 2017 McDonald criteria were enrolled in the study. The age varied from 26 to 70 years, the median age was 47 [34; 53] years. Patients with mild or moderate atactic disorders, mildly or moderately manifested central paresis with gait function and fine motor skills impairment were included in the group, median EDSS in which was 4 [3; 5.5]. The patients underwent a course of remote neurorehabilitation on the «NeyroDom» website according to individualised training programmes. All patients underwent in-person examination before and after the course of rehabilitation using EDSS scoring, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), the 25 foot walking test (25-FWT), the 9-Hole Peg Test (9-HPT) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. The control over adherence to the technique of exercising and due amount of training was maintained via remote monitoring of the website and telemedical consultations one time per week. The average rehabilitation course duration was 28 days.

RESULTS: After the course of remote rehabilitation, the statistically significant improvement in all main indices of BBS, DGI, 9HPT and 25FWT functional scales were noted, which indicates the improvement in gait, balance and fine motor skills functions.

CONCLUSION: The positive influence of remote rehabilitation for patients with MS has been proved.