Telemedicine in Functional Motor Disorder

Functional motor disorders (FMDs) are a broad spectrum of functional neurological disorders, referring to abnormal movements like dystonia, tremor, and gait/balance disorders. Patients with FMDs experience high degrees of disability and distress equivalent to those suffering from degenerative neurological diseases. Rehabilitation is essential in managing FMDs. However, the current systems of rehabilitation delivery face two main challenges. Patients are not receiving the amount and kind of evidence-based rehabilitation they need due to the lack of rehabilitation professionals' experts in the field. The rehabilitation setting is not adequate for the long-term management and monitoring of these patients. To date, no randomized controlled trials are evaluating the effectiveness of Telemedicine in the management of patients with FMD. This is a single-blind randomized-controlled trial (RCT) with 2-parallel arms to demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of a 5-day intensive rehabilitation treatment followed by a telemedicine program on the motor, non-motor symptoms (pain, fatigue, anxiety, and depression), the self-perception of clinical change and Health-Related Quality of Life, and health care costs in patients with FMDs.