The Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown Restrictions on Exercise Behavior Among People With Multiple Sclerosis Enrolled in an Exercise Trial: Qualitative Interview Study.

The unprecedented disruption of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in spring and summer 2020 impacted the ability of facility-based STEP for MS exercise trial participants to exercise in adherence to the intervention protocol. By contrast, the participants in the telerehabilitation-delivered exercise arm continued exercising without interruption and reported positive impacts of the intervention during this time. Telerehabilitation exercise programs may hold promise for overcoming barriers to exercise for people with MS during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, and potentially other lockdown scenarios, if the participation in telerehabilitation has already been established.