#142: Digital rehab in MS – what new technology can (and can't) do for you. An ECTRIMS 2025 Special

• Maybe you already use your phone, a wearable, or one of the many MS-related apps to track your symptoms or support your daily routines. But when it comes to rehabilitation, the real question is: which digital tools actually help — and which ones are just noise?

In this ECTRIMS session, researchers from around the world explored how technology can enhance rehabilitation for people with MS. Their message was clear: digital tools can open new doors, but only when they are designed well, grounded in science, and truly support your everyday life.

You can read through the complete article here: https://ms-perspektive.de/EN/142-digital-rehab

In this episode, you'll hear about: 1. Alon Kalron – Israel

How digital technologies—from smartphones to sensor-based rehab tools—can extend what your rehab team can see and support between appointments.

2. Andrea Tacchino – Italy

Why digital outcome measurements matter, how sensors can capture real-life changes, and what it takes to turn raw data into meaningful digital biomarkers.

3. Gabriele Perachiotti – Italy

How high-intensity, task-oriented circuit training can improve balance, fatigue, and quality of life—even in people with severe mobility limitations—and how a simple home-based telerehab setup helps maintain progress.

4. Andrea Baroni – Italy

How machine-learning models can predict rehab outcomes and why your starting functional level is the strongest predictor of future improvement.

5. Diogo Haddad Santos – Brazil

Why "strange" visual symptoms in MS often reflect real, measurable eye-movement changes—and how portable eye-tracking may become a new digital biomarker.

6. Katrin Parmar – Switzerland

Which balance tests reflect high-tech lab measurements, and why static and dynamic balance need to be tested separately.

Topics we explore:

• The promise and limits of MS apps & wearable sensors

• Digital biomarkers for gait, balance, fatigue, and vision

• Task-oriented training and telerehabilitation

• Predicting rehab outcomes using machine learning

• Eye-tracking and the hidden world of visual symptoms

• Static vs. dynamic balance: why both matter

• How to decide which digital tools are worth your time

What you'll take away:

• Not every digital tool is useful — evidence and usability matter.

• Sensors can capture changes that clinic visits miss.

• Even with higher disability, meaningful rehab gains are possible.

• Your starting function strongly shapes your rehab journey.

• Subjective symptoms (like visual strain) deserve objective investigation.

• The future of MS rehab is a blend of clinic + lab + digital.

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See you soon and try to make the best out of your life,
Nele

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