Exploring cued and non-cued motor imagery interventions in people with multiple sclerosis: a randomised feasibility trial and reliability study.
Barbara Seebacher, Raija Kuisma, Angela Glynn and 1 others
PMID 29507773WHAT IT FOUND
Home-based motor imagery with weekly phone support was feasible and safe in 15 people with MS; preliminary walking, fatigue and quality-of-life changes occurred in all groups, but cannot show which group did better.
Key findings
01All 15 participants completed the study, and recruitment, retention and adherence exceeded pre-specified targets.
02No falls or adverse events were reported, and participants found the home-based motor imagery acceptable or pleasurable.
03Preliminary improvements in walking speed, walking distance, fatigue and quality of life were seen in all groups, which practised motor imagery at home with weekly phone support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 15 participants were studied, so the findings are preliminary and not generalisable. The sample was 13 women and 2 men, a female-to-male ratio of 6.5:1, which may reflect selection bias. The study was not blinded, and the assessor knew group allocation. Adherence was reported by participants in diaries and phone calls, and could have been slightly incorrect. Cognitive function and depression were not formally tested, only clinical screening was used. All groups received motor imagery, home practice and weekly phone support, so the study cannot show which component produced changes.
Declared interests
The Austrian MS Research Society funded the study.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the walking and fatigue changes as proof that motor imagery, music cueing or verbal cueing works. This was a 15-participant feasibility study, all groups also had familiarisation and weekly phone support, and the authors state the results are preliminary and not generalisable.