NCT03369470

App Based Dexterity Training in Multiple Sclerosis

A New App Home Based Dexterity Training in Multiple Sclerosis: a Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (actual)
• Sponsor: Luzerner Kantonsspital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years – 75 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system and the most common cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults (Kamm et al. 2014; Vanbellingen \& Kamm, 2016). It is a heterogeneous disease, which is associated with long-term disability, leading to reduced quality of life (QoL). Disease-modifying pharmacological therapies (DMT) decrease activity and progression of the disease, and symptomatic pharmacological treatments reduce complaints to a certain extent, however MS patients often still suffer from various neurological deficits during the course of their disease (Kamm et al. 2014). Consequently, specific non-pharmacological therapies are needed in order to further reduce disability, eventually resulting in better QoL (Lamers et al. 2016; Vanbellingen \& Kamm, 2016). Impaired dexterity is a frequently observed impairment, affecting up to 76% of patients with MS (Johannson et al. 2007). The different neurological deficits caused by MS, such as ataxia, spasticity, sensory-motor deficits, and apraxia may be alone or in combination, impair manual dexterity (Kamm et al. 2012; Heldner, Vanbellingen et al. 2014). MS patients experience impairments in the performance of several activities of daily living (ADL), such as grooming, cooking, etc. Sometimes these problems are even associated with loss of work, and lack of social integration (Chruzander et al. 2013). The effectiveness of the app based exercises still needs to be proven. With respect to dexterity, a first new app has been developed called "Finger Zirkus", by a team of experts including an occupational therapist, graphic designer, and IT expert. The app is already available to be downloaded from google play store or apple store (see for more details: www.fingers-in-motion.de).

Conditions

• Multiple Sclerosis

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	App Dexterity	App based dexterity training by means of Finger Zirkus (see for more details: www.fingers-in-motion.de)
BEHAVIORAL	Theraband	Active control being five traditional hand strengthening (Thera-band) exercises, which we published in our previous RCT, being feasible and effective in improving dexterity (for more details see for Kamm et al. 2015).

Timeline

• Start date: 2017-12-01
• Primary completion: 2021-08-01
• Completion: 2021-08-30
• First posted: 2017-12-12
• Last updated: 2021-09-01

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Switzerland