Fitness Trackers Could Support MS Treatments: Study

Researchers from biotech firm Biogen and online medical information forum PatientsLikeMe conducted a study that suggests a potential therapeutic benefit of fitness trackers for patients dealing with multiple sclerosis (MS).

A major symptom of multiple sclerosis is a recurring numbness in different parts of the body like the arms or legs, which can impair mobility, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Dr. Richard Rudick, Biogen's vice president of value based medicine said in a statement, "MS impairs the ability to walk for many people with MS, yet we only assess walking ability in the limited time a patient is in the doctor's office."

Both companies wanted to see how effective the data emitted by wearable devices, in this case Fitbit's, could be in providing insight into an MS patient's movement in a real-world setting. The goal would be to see if this could supplement a traditional office exam, according to the summary released by PatientsLikeMe.

Researchers gave 248 members of the PatientsLikeMe community Fitbit trackers while 203 members of the group activated the device and agreed to share the data with the scientists.

Over the course of three weeks, contributors logged a total of 15 million steps, which breaks down to 6,820 miles. These positive results meant there was an 87 percent adherence rate.

Beta Boston reports that this, "data monitoring could offer a long-term view of a person's fitness habits, granting them more personalized care," adding that access to multiple case studies like this may provide the medical community with a better understanding of what life is like living with this disease each day.

The team of investigators will present their findings this week at the annual American Academy of Neurology meeting.