Efficacy of Motion Sensor Telerehabilitation for Balance and Mobility in Parkinson's Disease: A Nonrandomized Controlled Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: We developed an innovative telerehabilitation system using a 3D camera with motion sensors that provided real-time feedback. This study is aimed at evaluating its efficacy in improving balance, gait, and mobility, as well as its feasibility in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD).

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Participants with idiopathic PD self-selected into either a telerehabilitation (tele) group or a hospital-based rehabilitation (hospital) group. The tele group received two initial sessions of hospital-based rehabilitation sessions, followed by 14 telerehabilitation sessions using the innovative system. The hospital group received 16 sessions of hospital-based rehabilitation. Outcome measures included Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score, Chula Parkinson Mobility Scale (Chula PMS) score, gait speed, and step length. The feasibility of the telerehabilitation system was also assessed.

RESULTS

Forty-six participants were recruited (tele group: n = 23; hospital group: n = 23). Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in the BBS scores (tele: post-pre = 3.50, p < 0.001; hospital: post-pre = 4.35, p < 0.001), with no statistically significant difference between the groups (mean difference: -0.85, p = 0.454). Chula PMS score also improved significantly in both groups (tele: post-pre = 3.45, p < 0.001; hospital: post-pre = 5.70, p < 0.001) without a statistically significant difference between the groups (mean difference: -2.25, p = 0.086). The attendance rate exceeded 90% in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The motion sensor telerehabilitation significantly improved balance and mobility in PD patients with no statistically significant differences between the two groups. Feasibility was high. However, the BBS improvements did not reach the minimal clinically important difference, indicating the need for further investigation.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: Thai Clinical Trials Registry identifier: TCTR 20220924001.