The effects of telerehabilitation-based motor imagery training on motor imagery ability, motor function and physical performance in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

This randomised controlled trial examined whether adding remote motor imagery training (mentally rehearsing movements without performing them) to a telerehabilitation physiotherapy program could help children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Twenty-three children with DMD were randomised into a treatment group (motor imagery plus physiotherapy, n=12) or a control group (physiotherapy alone, n=11), with twelve healthy children included for baseline comparison. All groups were assessed before and after 8 weeks using questionnaires on imagery ability, motor function scales, ambulation tests, and timed performance measures.Children with DMD started with lower motor imagery ability than healthy children.

The trial found large effects favouring the motor imagery group on several imagery-related measures, and smaller effects on motor function and ambulation outcomes. The main limitation is the small sample size (23 children with DMD across two groups), which limits how confidently these effects can be generalised, and the physiotherapy-alone group's physical performance was reported as maintained rather than clearly changed.

This study looked at whether children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) could benefit from adding mental practice, called motor imagery training, to a home-based telehealth physiotherapy program. Motor imagery means imagining movements in your mind without physically doing them.

Twenty-three children with DMD took part, split into two groups: one did motor imagery training plus physiotherapy, the other did physiotherapy alone. Twelve healthy children were also assessed for comparison.

Everyone was tested before and after 8 weeks. Children with DMD had lower imagery ability scores than healthy children at the start. After 8 weeks, the group that added motor imagery training showed larger improvements in imagery-related skills, and smaller improvements in motor function and walking-related measures compared to physiotherapy alone.

The physiotherapy-only group's physical performance stayed steady over the 8 weeks. Because only 23 children with DMD were involved, split across two smaller groups, these results should be seen as an early step rather than definitive proof, and larger studies would help confirm these patterns.

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This RCT (n=23 DMD, randomised to Tele-MI plus Tele-PTP, n=12, versus Tele-PTP alone, n=11, with 12 healthy children for baseline comparison) tested whether telerehabilitation-delivered motor imagery training added benefit over physiotherapy alone across 8 weeks. Outcomes included KVIQ-10, MIQ-C, mental chronometry, MFM, North Star Ambulation Assessment, and Four Square Step Test. DMD participants had lower baseline motor imagery ability than healthy controls.

Large interaction effects (η²>0.14) were reported for KVIQ-10 visual/total scores, MIQ-C internal visual/kinesthetic scores, and delta time on the 10-metre walk mental chronometry test, favouring the Tele-MI group. Small-to-medium interaction effects (η²<0.14) were found for motor function and ambulation outcomes, with the authors noting particular relevance to trunk-related function.

The Tele-PTP-alone group maintained physical performance over the study period. The small sample size across two arms limits statistical power and generalisability, and effect sizes for functional outcomes were modest. These findings support motor imagery training as a plausible adjunct within telerehabilitation for imagery ability specifically, but functional gains were smaller and require replication in larger trials before firmer conclusions can be drawn.