Enhancing the Quality of Life of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis: Promising Results on the Role of Cognitive Tele-Rehabilitation Plus Virtual Reality.

Abstract

(1) Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis often face obstacles accessing traditional rehabilitation programs, primarily due to mobility limitations. Tele-rehabilitation (TR) is seen as a promising solution to overcome these barriers, though its precise influence on patients' quality of life (QoL) has not been thoroughly investigated. Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess the feasibility of a cognitive TR in a sample of Italian patients with MS. (2) Methods: Thirty-six patients diagnosed with MS, attending the Robotic and Behavioral Neurorehabilitation Unit of the IRCCS "Bonino-Pulejo" Neurolesi Center in Messina, Italy, between October 2019 and March 2020 were enrolled in the study. All patients were randomly assigned, using block randomization with a block size of 2 × 2, to two groups: the control group (CG), composed of 16 patients who received traditional cognitive training, and the experimental group (EG), composed of 20 patients who underwent TR training with a VRRS (virtual reality rehabilitation system). Each patient underwent an assessment before (T0) and immediately after (T1) the rehabilitation treatment, using the Quality of Life-54 Multiple Sclerosis (MSQoL-54). (3) Results: Only in the EG, we observed a statistically significant improvement in the QoL related to mental well-being following the paired T-test (MSQoL p-value < 0.001). Notably, no significant differences were found in the CG (MSQoL p-value of 0.67). (4) Conclusions: Our data suggest that TR training combined with VR has the potential to improve the well-being of individuals with MS.