The impact of mental practice on sleep quality, fatigue, functional balance and gaiting in patient with multiple sclerosis: A case report

In the recent years, brain simulation and mental imagination has been raised as a new and useful technique in rehabilitation of the neurological patients. One of the common problems of MS patients is fatigue and with regard to the overall impact of fatigue on quality of life, balance and sleep quality, there was a need to examine the impact of mental exercises to improve performance in these people. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the mental exercises in improving the sleep quality, fatigue, functional balance and walking in patient with MS.
Case In this study, the patient was a women with the secondary progressive multiple sclerosis experiencing the balance and gait disorders and pain. The new mental practice approach was employed for her treatment in 12 sessions, each for 30 minutes. The patient was assessed for walking, functional balance, fatigue and sleep quality before and after treatment. The comparison between evaluations before and after treatment showed recovery from fatigue 13%, gaining ability to walk 22% and the improvement in sleep quality was 18%. Functional balance also showed a significant difference in compare to before treatment.
The findings from this case report suggest that mental practice can be an effective method for improving sleep quality, fatigue, functional balance and walking in people with multiple sclerosis