Virtual Reality Approach in Multiple Sclerosis

The Effectiveness of Game-Based Virtual Reality Approach in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

The aim of our study is to investigate the effects of game-based virtual reality exercise added to conventional physiotherapy and rehabilitation program in patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). In order to evaluate its effectiveness, assessment of pain, range of motion and disability will be applied.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Multiple Sclerosis; Rehabilitation
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Game Based Virtual Reality Exercises; Other: Conventional Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation

Detailed Description

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neuromuscular disease that causes various degrees of disability in mobility and functional activities, causing restrictions on the individual's social and professional life, creating advanced disability and impairing quality of life. Problems in upper limb function affect quality of life and functional independence of the patients. Recovery of restricted daily life functions (such as dressing, personal care, eating and body care) is one of the main goals of physiotherapy and rehabilitation in MS and currently, conventional physiotherapy and rehabilitation methods are most commonly used. The main purpose of this method is to reduce pain, increase range of motion and muscle strength. With the developing technology various virtual reality applications have begun to take place in physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs recently. These virtual reality applications are used to motivate the patient and keep their interest in the rehabilitation. The aim of our study is to investigate the effects of game-based virtual reality exercises added to conventional physiotherapy and rehabilitation program in patients with MS.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey
  • Istanbul, Turkey
    • Recruiting
    • Cadde Tıp Merkezi - Cadde Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 65 years (ADULT, OLDER_ADULT)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Volunteered to participate in the study,
• Aged 18-65 years
• Having a score between 1.5 - 7 according to Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Any visual or hearing problem,
• Other neurological, orthopedic or rheumatic problems that may restrict shoulder motion or cause pain,
• Having a physical disability or uncontrolled chronic systemic disease,
• Major trauma,
• Treatment for shoulder problems within the last 6 months,
• History of epileptic attacks
• Not being stable for MS attacks during the last 3 months

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Interventional Model: PARALLEL
• Masking: NONE

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Control Group; Number of participants in this group is anticipated to be 20. Conventional physiotherapy and rehabilitation methods will be applied to this group. Physiotherapy approaches include stretching exercises, neurodevelopmental approaches, static positioning, strengthening exercises, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), hydrotherapy, cryotherapy.	Other: Conventional Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation; The conventional physiotherapy and rehabilitation program includes stretching exercises, neurodevelopmental approaches, static positioning, strengthening exercises, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), hydrotherapy, cryotherapy.
ACTIVE_COMPARATOR: Study Group; Number of participants in this group is anticipated to be 20. Participants in this group will be receiving conventional physiotherapy and rehabilitation methods and 10 minutes of exercise with the game-based virtual reality system (USE-IT). In the USE-IT system two games will be played for 5 minutes each.	Device: Game Based Virtual Reality Exercises; A game-based virtual reality device named USE-IT will be added to the rehabilitation program. USE-IT is a technological rehabilitation system designed by the Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation at Hacettepe University. It is a smart gaming device which has been used in patients who suffer from movement loss in their upper extremities due to various neurological and orthopedic reasons.; Other: Conventional Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation; The conventional physiotherapy and rehabilitation program includes stretching exercises, neurodevelopmental approaches, static positioning, strengthening exercises, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), hydrotherapy, cryotherapy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in range of motion from baseline to week 4	The range of motion of the joints in the upper extremities will be measured using the universal goniometer before and after the treatment.	4 weeks
Change in level of pain from baseline to week 4	Level of Pain will be assessed with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). It is widely used among the methods of measuring the severity of pain. Scale is a 10 cm ruler, participants will mark the level of pain between 0-10 cm, 0 would means ''no pain'' and 10 would means ''worst possible pain''.	4 weeks
Change in disability of the upper extremity from baseline to week 4	Disability of the upper extremities will be assessed with 'The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) Questionnaire'. It is a self-administered region-specific outcome instrument developed as a measure of self-rated upper-extremity disability and symptoms. The questionnaire was designed to help describe the disability experienced by people with upper-limb disorders and also to monitor changes in symptoms and function over time.	4 weeks
Change in muscle strength from baseline to week 4	The muscle strength of shoulder flexion, abduction, adduction, external and internal rotation movements will be evaluated by using the Baseline Push-Pull (New York) dynamometer. Results will be calculated in kg (1 lb = 0.454 kg). The patient's arm will be stabilized and the patient will be asked to show maximum resistance within 2 sec against the dynamometer placed and then hold it for 5 seconds at this position and power. The measurement will be repeated twice and recorded with the average of these two values.	4 weeks
Change in pain threshold from baseline to week 4	The pain threshold will be measured with a digital algometer device. Algometers are devices that can be used to identify the pressure and/or force eliciting a pressure-pain threshold. It has been noted in pressure-pain threshold studies that the rate at which manual force is applied should be consistent to provide the greatest reliability.	4 weeks
Change in proprioception from baseline to week 4	Proprioception will be evaluated with 'Marmara Visual Auditory Joint Education Device (MarVAJED) which was developed by the Faculty of Health Sciences of Marmara University, Istanbul. This device evaluates motion deficits of joints, analyzes joint position sense, provides biofeedback support to increase joint control and also directs to controlled exercises. It analyzes the motion of the joint with the help of small sensors and transfers the data obtained to the mobile phone, tablet or computer.	4 weeks
Change in kinesiophobia from baseline to week 4	In the assessment of kinesiophobia 'Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale (TKS)' will be used. It is a 17 item questionnaire used to assess the subjective rating of kinesiophobia or fear of movement. The scale is based on the model of fear avoidance, fear of work related activities, fear of movement and fear of re-injury.	4 weeks
Satisfaction of the Treatment	An objective test that evaluates the satisfaction of the patient from pain status, functionality, treatment and physiotherapist after treatment will be assessed with 4 questions, and each question is given a score of 0-10 using the VAS scale. 0 means ''I am not satisfied at all'', 10 means ''I am very satisfied''.	4 weeks
Change in disability of the fingers from baseline to week 4	The Nine-Hole Peg Test (9HPT) will be used to measure finger dexterity. The test is administered by asking the client to take the pegs from a container, one by one, and place them into the holes on the board, as quickly as possible. Participants must then remove the pegs from the holes, one by one, and replace them back into the container. Scores are based on the time taken to complete the test activity, recorded in seconds.	4 weeks
Change in spasticity from baseline to week 4	Spasticity will be defined with Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). The MAS measures resistance during passive soft-tissue stretching. Scoring: 0= normal tone. 1= slight increase in muscle tone, minimal resistance at the end of the range of motion (ROM) when the affected part(s) is moved in flexion or extension. 1+= slight increase in muscle tone, manifested by a catch, followed by minimal resistance throughout the remainder of the ROM. 2= more marked increase in muscle tone through most of the ROM, but affected part(s) easily moved. 3= considerable increase in muscle tone, passive movement difficult. 4= affected part(s) rigid in flexion or extension.	4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Marmara University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Dilara Merve Sari, MSc, Marmara University Institute of Health Sciences; Principal Investigator: Nimet Sermenli Aydın, MSc, Marmara University Institute of Health Sciences

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Andrews AW, Thomas MW, Bohannon RW. Normative values for isometric muscle force measurements obtained with hand-held dynamometers. Phys Ther. 1996 Mar;76(3):248-59. doi: 10.1093/ptj/76.3.248.
• Bao X, Mao Y, Lin Q, Qiu Y, Chen S, Li L, Cates RS, Zhou S, Huang D. Mechanism of Kinect-based virtual reality training for motor functional recovery of upper limbs after subacute stroke. Neural Regen Res. 2013 Nov 5;8(31):2904-13. doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1673-5374.2013.31.003.
• Arman N, Tarakci E, Tarakci D, Kasapcopur O. Effects of Video Games-Based Task-Oriented Activity Training (Xbox 360 Kinect) on Activity Performance and Participation in Patients With Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2019 Mar;98(3):174-181. doi: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001001.
• Burdea GC. Virtual rehabilitation--benefits and challenges. Methods Inf Med. 2003;42(5):519-23.
• Rubin BD, Kibler WB. Fundamental principles of shoulder rehabilitation: conservative to postoperative management. Arthroscopy. 2002 Nov-Dec;18(9 Suppl 2):29-39. doi: 10.1053/jars.2002.36507. No abstract available.
• Chen CC. Multimedia virtualized environment for shoulder pain rehabilitation. J Phys Ther Sci. 2016 Apr;28(4):1349-54. doi: 10.1589/jpts.28.1349. Epub 2016 Apr 28.
• Bjartmar C, Trapp BD. Axonal and neuronal degeneration in multiple sclerosis: mechanisms and functional consequences. Curr Opin Neurol. 2001 Jun;14(3):271-8. doi: 10.1097/00019052-200106000-00003.
• Crayton H, Heyman RA, Rossman HS. A multimodal approach to managing the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Neurology. 2004 Dec 14;63(11 Suppl 5):S12-8. doi: 10.1212/wnl.63.11_suppl_5.s12.
• Earhart GM, Cavanaugh JT, Ellis T, Ford MP, Foreman KB, Dibble L. The 9-hole PEG test of upper extremity function: average values, test-retest reliability, and factors contributing to performance in people with Parkinson disease. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2011 Dec;35(4):157-63. doi: 10.1097/NPT.0b013e318235da08.
• Feys P, Helsen W, Liu X, Mooren D, Albrecht H, Nuttin B, Ketelaer P. Effects of peripheral cooling on intention tremor in multiple sclerosis. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2005 Mar;76(3):373-9. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.2004.044305.
• Hiller LB, Wade CK. Upper extremity functional assessment scales in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a comparison. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 1992 Jun;73(6):527-34.
• Peresedova AV, Chernikova LA, Zavalishin IA. [Physical rehabilitation in multiple sclerosis: general principles and high-tech approaches]. Vestn Ross Akad Med Nauk. 2013;(10):14-21. Russian.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (ACTUAL): January 20, 2020
• Primary Completion (ANTICIPATED): June 1, 2021
• Study Completion (ANTICIPATED): June 1, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 25, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 25, 2019
• First Posted (ACTUAL): December 27, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (ACTUAL): September 4, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 3, 2020
• Last Verified: September 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Rehabilitation; Multiple Sclerosis; Upper extremity; Virtual Reality; Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Nervous System Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Demyelinating Autoimmune Diseases, CNS; Autoimmune Diseases of the Nervous System; Demyelinating Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Multiple Sclerosis; Sclerosis
• Other Study ID Numbers: 31.10.2019/104

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No