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Multiple SclerosisExeRVIEM IINCT07543900

Immersive Virtual Reality and Exercise Programs in Multiple Sclerosis

A study testing Virtual exercise based program in people with Multiple Sclerosis and Exercise (EX), run by University of Vigo at 1 site in Spain.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

TITLE: Immersive Virtual Reality and Exercise Programs in Multiple Sclerosis INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroimmunological and degenerative disease characterized by demyelination within the central nervous system. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
What is being tested?
Virtual exercise based program
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
5 participants
Where
1 siteSpain
Study dates
1 Mar 2024to 1 Jul 2025
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • ≥18 years of age.
  • Confirmed diagnosis of MS.
  • Stable disease with no relapse in the previous 6 weeks.
  • Patients who will be take follow up by a neurologist at the referall hospital and will be members of AVEMPO.
  • Ability to perform moderate exercise.
  • Capacity to provide informed consent.

Who cannot join

  • Comorbidities that hinder the development of the VR program
  • Visual or vestibular impairment that would contraindicate VR use.
  • Recent changes in disease modifying therapy.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Spain1 site
  • University of Vigo

    Vigo, Pontevedra, 36316

Other trials in Spain

About this study

Official title: Benefits of a High-Intensity Exercise Program With Immersive Virtual Reality in Multiple Sclerosis: Exploratory Study

TITLE: Immersive Virtual Reality and Exercise Programs in Multiple Sclerosis

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neuroimmunological and degenerative disease characterized by demyelination within the central nervous system. Its clinical course involves motor impairment, sensory disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, and a progressive decline in functional independence. MS is one of the leading causes of non-traumatic disability in young adults. This highlights the considerable impact of the disease, both in terms of healthcare burden and healthcare expenditure. Within this context, therapeutic exercise has evolved from being considered potentially harmful to being recognized as a safe and effective intervention capable of improving gait, balance, cardiorespiratory fitness, fatigue, and quality of life in people with MS. A model has been proposed for prescribing and progressing exercise at different stages of MS: passive range-of-motion exercises designed for patients with the most severe symptoms, a second stage incorporating active muscle-strengthening exercises, and finally, integrated exercise programs that incorporate strength, endurance, balance, and coordination training. Evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses shows that structured exercise (including high-intensity protocols when performed under supervision) is safe and can improve functional outcomes. Our ExeRVIEM III project (Effects of a Physiotherapy Program With High-Intensity Exercise and Immersive Virtual Reality in Multiple Sclerosis: Randomized Controlled Trial) represents a novel strategy to facilitate rehabilitation exercise programs using head-mounted virtual reality displays.

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HYPOTHESIS: The ExeRVIEM III project, based on training physical function in people with MS, is feasible and safe, and could have a potential clinical impact in the motor and cognitive domains, as well as applicability in community settings, such as patient associations.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES:

1.1 To design and implement an ExeRVIEM III exercise program/protocol for people with MS.

1.2 To evaluate the feasibility and safety of the high-intensity virtual reality exercise program.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

2.1 To analyze the possible changes in disability, functional variables, cognitive domains and biomarkers in the short and medium term in people who attend a patient association and carry out the ExeRVIEM III exercise program/protocol for people with MS.

METHODOLOGY: A randomized controlled trial with two arms (experimental group and control group. The study will be conducted at the ACEM patient association (Santiago de Compostela, Spain). The intervention will consist of an 6-month supervised virtual physiotherapy program, with two weekly sessions on alternate days, in addition to the standard rehabilitation prescribed by the ACEM clinical team (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and cognitive training sessions). An inmersive virtual reality (IVR) body combat exercise videogame will be used, administered via a virtual reality headset. In accordance with clinical guidelines for IVR, sessions will be intentionally brief (10 minutes) to minimize cybersickness and excessive fatigue. Assessments will be conducted at baseline (week 0) and immediately after the intervention (week 24). Demographic and clinical data will also be collected, including sex, age, comorbidities, disease duration, MS subtype, and pharmacological treatment. Assessments will be conducted at the patient association and in the Neurology Department of the referral hospital. Physical capacities assessments will be performed at the patient association supervising by physiotherapist, while the remaining assessments will be completed at the hospital by a neurologist specializing in MS (with blinding). The content of the assessments will be:

Patient characteristics: an ad hoc registration form that will include data on age, sex, years since diagnosis, MS subtype, and pharmacological treatment.

Feasibility: Number of virtual sessions attended by each participant (adherence rate via registration sheet). Rate Perceived Effort using the modified Borg scale, which measures the level of perceived exertion on a scale of 0 to 10 from no effort to maximum effort.

Safety: adverse events (side effects related to virtual reality exposure) using the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ).

Level o disability: using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). Gait will be evaluated using the 25Foot Walk Test (25FWT) and Timed Up and Go test Strengh with a hand dynamometer and the Five times to Sit and Stand test (FSST) Manual dexterity will be assessed using by 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT). Cognitive domains evaluated by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) Axonal injury biomarker evaluated by Neurofilament light chain (sNfL) concentrations

Being tested
Virtual exercise based program
Medical subject headings
Multiple Sclerosis, Motor Activity

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Virtual exercise based programOther

    The intervention will consist of a supervised virtual rehabilitation program delivered over 8 weeks, with two sessions per week on alternating days, in addition to the standard rehabilitation prescribed by the AVEMPO clinical team (physiotherapy, occupational therapy and cognitive training sessions). An Immersive Virtual Reality boxing-based exergame executed through a VR headset will be used.

Study groups in NCT07543900
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Experimental: ExeRVIEM II ProtocolExperimentalVirtual exercise based program
Receives: Other: Virtual exercise based program

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Adverse events linked to virtual reality exposure assessed by the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ).

    SSQ assess the IVR exposure by evaluating potential associated symptoms in three broad domains: 1. oculomotor symptoms; 2. disorientation; 3. nausea. Each item is rated on a four-point scale (0 = feel nothing; 1 = a little; 2 = moderately; and 3 = very much) and the total score (maximum of 48 points) is the sum of the scores of the three subscales.

    Measured: Week 8

  2. Usability of the virtual tool assessed by System Usability Scale (SUS).

    SUS consists of ten questions on a Likert-type scale. Each question is scored from 1 to 5 based on the degree of agreement or disagreement with each statement, where 5 means strongly agree and 1 means strongly disagree. The algorithm resulting from these responses generates a maximum score of 100 points.

    Measured: Week 8

  3. Number of virtual sessions attended by each participant

    Adherence rate via registration sheet

    Measured: up to 8 weeks

  4. Rate perceived effort (RPE) evaluated by the modified Borg scale.

    The modified Borg scale and which measures the RPE on a scale of 0-10 from no exertion (0) to the greatest possible exertion (10).

    Measured: up to 8 weeks

Secondary outcomes (10)
  1. Level of disability using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)

    EDSS quantifies MS related disability on a scale from 0 (normal neurological exa-mination) to 10 (MS related death). Lower scores indicate less disability and generally, and a change of between 0.5 and 1.0 points on the EDSS scale is considered clinically significant, indicating actual progression or improvement in disability

    Measured: Baseline

  2. Level of disability using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)

    EDSS quantifies MS related disability on a scale from 0 (normal neurological exa-mination) to 10 (MS related death). Lower scores indicate less disability and generally, and a change of between 0.5 and 1.0 points on the EDSS scale is considered clinically significant, indicating actual progression or improvement in disability

    Measured: Week 8

  3. Gait evaluated by 25Foot Walk Test (25FWT)

    25FWT assesses walking speed over 25 feet; shorter times reflect better gait capacity. The 25FWT is a validated, reliable measure accepted by regulatory consortia (MSOAC), predictive of disability progression, where a change greater than 20% in the time taken to walk 25 feet (7.6 meters) is considered relevant to the patient's daily life, indicating a real improvement or deterioration of their functional capacity, beyond the natural variability of the test.

    Measured: Baseline

  4. Gait evaluated by 25Foot Walk Test (25FWT)

    25FWT assesses walking speed over 25 feet; shorter times reflect better gait capacity. The 25FWT is a validated, reliable measure accepted by regulatory consortia (MSOAC), predictive of disability progression, where a change greater than 20% in the time taken to walk 25 feet (7.6 meters) is considered relevant to the patient's daily life, indicating a real improvement or deterioration of their functional capacity, beyond the natural variability of the test.

    Measured: Week 8

  5. Manual dexterity assessed by 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT)

    9HPT (right and left) evaluates fine manual dexterity. Lower times indicate better performance. Reductions of approximately 20% are often considered clinically meaningful, particularly in progressive MS phenotypes. Often in clinical studies, a change of 2 seconds or more in the average test execution time is considered clinically relevant, indicating an impairment in manual dexterity and fine motor function

    Measured: Baseline

  6. Manual dexterity assessed by 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT)

    9HPT (right and left) evaluates fine manual dexterity. Lower times indicate better performance. Reductions of approximately 20% are often considered clinically meaningful, particularly in progressive MS phenotypes. Often in clinical studies, a change of 2 seconds or more in the average test execution time is considered clinically relevant, indicating an impairment in manual dexterity and fine motor function

    Measured: Week 8

  7. Cognitive domains evaluated by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)

    SDMT assesses cognitive processing speed; higher scores indicate better performance. The SDMT is highly sensitive to cognitive impairment in MS and a variation of 4 to 5 points (or a change of at least 10% from baseline) is generally considered to indicate a real and clinically relevant change in the patient's cognitive performance

    Measured: Baseline

  8. Cognitive domains evaluated by the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)

    SDMT assesses cognitive processing speed; higher scores indicate better performance. The SDMT is highly sensitive to cognitive impairment in MS and a variation of 4 to 5 points (or a change of at least 10% from baseline) is generally considered to indicate a real and clinically relevant change in the patient's cognitive performance

    Measured: Week 8

  9. Axonal injury biomarker evaluated by Neurofilament light chain (sNfL) concentrations

    sNfL expressed in serum (pg/mL) evaluates disease progression. Lower levels suggest reduced neuroaxonal damage and may reflect decreased disease activity. In this study, it was performed using an automated assay for measuring sNfL (Fujirebio).

    Measured: Baseline

  10. Axonal injury biomarker evaluated by Neurofilament light chain (sNfL) concentrations

    sNfL expressed in serum (pg/mL) evaluates disease progression. Lower levels suggest reduced neuroaxonal damage and may reflect decreased disease activity. In this study, it was performed using an automated assay for measuring sNfL (Fujirebio).

    Measured: Week 8

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted22 Apr 2026
  2. Study start1 Mar 2024
  3. Primary completion1 Jul 2025
  4. Study completion1 Jul 2025

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
5 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT07543900
Sponsor's protocol ID
HEALTHYFIT-UVIGO 1/2026
Acronym
ExeRVIEM II
Status last verified
Jul 2026
First submitted
8 Apr 2026
Last updated
24 Jul 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Virtual exercise based program in people with Multiple Sclerosis and Exercise (EX), run by University of Vigo at 1 site in Spain.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 6 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 24 Jul 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Spain. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Adverse events linked to virtual reality exposure assessed by the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ). (time frame: Week 8). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 24 Jul 2026.

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