Common Data Elements for Rehabilitation Research in Neurologic Disorders (NeuroRehab CDEs).

Objective: Common data elements (CDEs) help harmonize data collection across clinical trials and observational studies, allowing for cross-study and cross-condition comparisons. Although CDEs exist for multiple clinical conditions and diseases, this work was extended only recently to neurorehabilitation research.

Design: Subgroups of clinical neurorehabilitation investigators operationalized a domain definition, selected applicable CDEs from 23 existing National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) CDE projects and National Institutes of Health (NIH) CDE repositories, and identified areas needing further development.

Walking performance is worse in black than white people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: There is emerging evidence for poor health outcomes among Black people with MS, and Black people with MS may have worse walking performance than White counterparts.

Purpose: The current study examined if Black participants with MS had slower walking speed (timed 25-foot walk, T25FW) and shorter walking distance (six-minute walk, 6MW) than White participants, and if these differences were accounted for by demographic variables, physical activity, disease/clinical characteristics, and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).

Method: The analysis included samples of Black (N = 105) and White (N = 246) participants with MS who completed the T25FW and 6MW, underwent a neurological exam for generating an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, and provided data on demographic variables (i.

Engaging wheelchair and scooter users in the co-design of an mHealth application for fall prevention and management: thematic analysis of focus group research.

This study aimed to explore the potential of a mobile health (mHealth) application (app) to support the delivery of a fall prevention and management program, Individualized Reduction of FaLLs (iROLL), for people with spinal cord injury (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS) who use wheelchairs and scooters (WC/S) full-time by seeking end-users' input into the functioning and ongoing design of the iROLL-O + mobile app. Two focus group discussions included nine adults with SCI or MS who used a WC/S for at least 75% of mobility, who experienced at least one fall in the past three years and have internet and access to an internet-capable device. One group had prior iROLL experience ( = 4); while the other had none ( = 5).

mHealth learning strategies to support behaviour change in individuals using wheelchairs and/or scooters: a systematic review.

Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review of the literature is to build understanding of the key elements and recommendations for the design of mHealth technology for individuals using wheelchairs and/or scooters and identify key features associated with the use of mHealth to support healthy behaviour changes for this population.

Materials And Methods: Eight major electronic databases were systematically searched to identify mobile health (mHealth) interventions, which targeted adult WC/S users. Independent reviewers used Endnote and Covidence to manage articles meeting review criteria and to exclude duplicates.

Validation of scores from a telephone administered multiple sclerosis walking scale-12 in persons with multiple sclerosis.

Background: The Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12) has typically been delivered through paper-and-pencil or computer-based administration.

Purpose: This study examined the validity of inferences from scores derived via a telephone administration of the MSWS-12 applied as part of screening of participants with walking dysfunction into a clinical trial of exercise training in MS.

Method: The MSWS-12 was administered on two occasions separated by approximately 2 weeks through the telephone and then in-person (i.

Transforming modeling in neurorehabilitation: clinical insights for personalized rehabilitation.

Practicing clinicians in neurorehabilitation continue to lack a systematic evidence base to personalize rehabilitation therapies to individual patients and thereby maximize outcomes. Computational modeling- collecting, analyzing, and modeling neurorehabilitation data- holds great promise. A key question is how can computational modeling contribute to the evidence base for personalized rehabilitation? As representatives of the clinicians and clinician-scientists who attended the 2023 NSF DARE conference at USC, here we offer our perspectives and discussion on this topic.

Leveraging Emerging Technologies to Expand Accessibility and Improve Precision in Rehabilitation and Exercise for People with Disabilities.

Physical rehabilitation and exercise training have emerged as promising solutions for improving health, restoring function, and preserving quality of life in populations that face disparate health challenges related to disability. Despite the immense potential for rehabilitation and exercise to help people with disabilities live longer, healthier, and more independent lives, people with disabilities can experience physical, psychosocial, environmental, and economic barriers that limit their ability to participate in rehabilitation, exercise, and other physical activities. Together, these barriers contribute to health inequities in people with disabilities, by disproportionately limiting their ability to participate in health-promoting physical activities, relative to people without disabilities.

Characteristics and consequences of falls among people with multiple sclerosis who use wheelchairs or scooters: Differences between injurious and non-injurious falls.

Background: Falls are common among people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) who use wheelchairs or scooters. Falls may lead to severe consequences including physical injuries. However, very little is known about the circumstances associated with injurious falls in this population.

Investigating Relationships Among Interoceptive Awareness, Emotional Susceptibility, and Fatigue in Persons With Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Fatigue is a particularly debilitating symptom for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Although personality traits and MS have been studied, interoception and emotional susceptibility and their links to fatigue have not yet been explored.

Methods: Study participants provided demographic information and completed standardized patient-reported outcomes of walking function, physical activity, subjective fatigue, interoceptive awareness, and emotional susceptibility.

Online Delivery of the Individualized Reduction of Falls Intervention for Persons With Multiple Sclerosis Who Use a Wheelchair or Scooter Full-time: A Pilot Study.

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who use a wheelchair or scooter full-time fall frequently; however, fall prevention programming that meets the unique needs of this population is limited. This study examined the preliminary efficacy of a group-based online fall prevention and management intervention designed specifically for people with MS.

Methods: This pre/post intervention, mixed-methods study included people with MS who used a wheelchair or scooter full-time, experienced at least 1 fall within the past year, and transferred independently or with minimal or moderate assistance.

Pilot Study of a Fall Prevention and Management Intervention Program for People With Multiple Sclerosis Who Use a Wheelchair or Scooter Full-Time.

Objective: To examine the efficacy of a fall prevention/management intervention among persons with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) who use a wheelchair (WC) or scooter full-time.

Design: Pre-post/follow-up trial.

Setting: Community and research laboratory.

Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction in People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Physiological Target for Improving Physical Function and Mobility.

Impaired mobility is amongst the most debilitating symptoms reported by people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Historically, it has been viewed that walking impairments in people with MS are directly caused by the physical damage to the neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) which results from the immunopathology of MS. However, research from over the past 4 decades has revealed that physical function in people with MS is also affected by skeletal muscle dysfunction characterized by a reduced capacity to produce, regulate, and sustain the force-generating muscle contractions that propel human movement.

The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions on Exercise Behavior Among People With Multiple Sclerosis Enrolled in an Exercise Trial: Qualitative Interview Study.

Background: During spring and summer 2020, US states implemented COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, resulting in the closure of rehabilitation facilities and, with them, some of the clinical trials that were taking place. One such trial was the Supervised Versus Telerehabilitation Exercise Program for Multiple Sclerosis ("STEP for MS") comparative effectiveness multiple sclerosis (MS) exercise trial. Although 1 study arm was implemented via telerehabilitation, the comparative arm took place in rehabilitation facilities nationwide and was subsequently closed during this time frame.

The role of worry in exercise and physical activity behavior of people with multiple sclerosis.

Purpose: This study is a secondary analysis of data from a mixed methods exploration of fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. During initial analysis, worry emerged during discussions of the fatigue experience. The purpose of this study is to explore worry in relationship to exercise and physical activity behavior.

Job Retention Among Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis: Relationship With Prediagnostic Employment and Education; Demographic Characteristics; and Disease Course, Severity, and Complications.

Objective: To identify how prediagnosis employment, education, demographic statuses, and disease factors relate to job retention among people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Design: Cross-sectional logit model.

Setting: Data were collected at an academic Medical University and a specialty hospital, both in the Southeastern US.

Prediction of future falls among full-time wheelchair and scooter users with multiple sclerosis: A prospective study.

Background: Seventy-five percent (75%) of full-time wheelchair or scooter users with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience at least one fall in a period of 6 months. Falls are detrimental for the independence, quality of life, and community participation. No previous prospective study has evaluated fall risk factors in this segment of MS community.

Barriers and Facilitators to Employment: A Comparison of Participants With Multiple Sclerosis and Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: To compare self-reported barriers and facilitators to employment among employed and unemployed participants with multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Cross-sectional study using self-report assessment obtained by mail or online.

Setting: Medical university in the southeastern United States.

Safety and Feasibility of Various Functional Electrical Stimulation Cycling Protocols in Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis Who Are Nonambulatory.

Objective: To examine the safety, feasibility, and response to functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling protocols requiring differing levels of effort in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are nonambulatory.

Design: Pilot study with pre-post intervention testing.

Setting: Outpatient clinic setting of a long-term acute care hospital.

Fear of Falling, Community Participation, and Quality of Life Among Community-Dwelling People Who Use Wheelchairs Full Time.

Objectives: To examine the differences in community participation and quality of life (QOL) among individuals who use wheelchairs full time with and without fear of falling (FOF).

Design: Cross-sectional study design.

Setting: University research laboratory.

Effects of Functional Electrical Stimulation Cycling on Fatigue and Quality of Life in People with Multiple Sclerosis Who Are Nonambulatory.

Background: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) cycling provides an exercise opportunity for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) who are nonambulatory. This study evaluated the efficacy of FES cycling for reducing fatigue and improving quality of life in people with MS who are nonambulatory and compared outcomes with those in a control group that did not take part in FES cycling.

Methods: Adults with MS with self-reported Expanded Disability Status Scale scores of 7.

Muscle Dysfunction and Walking Impairment in Women with Multiple Sclerosis.

Background: Recent evidence suggests that skeletal muscle dysfunction is involved in disability progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the relationship between muscle dysfunction and walking impairments in MS remains unclear. Thus, the cross-sectional relationships between muscle-specific oxidative capacity and walking endurance in women with MS were evaluated.