Outpatient Motor Retraining for Functional Movement Disorder: Predictors of a Favorable Short-Term Response

Background: Treating functional movement disorder (FMD) with motor retraining is effective but resource intensive. Objectives: Identify patient, disease, and program variables associated with favorable treatment outcomes. Methods: Retrospective review of the 1 week intensive outpatient FMD program at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota from February 2019 to August 2021. Outcomes included patient-reported measures (Canadian Occupational Performance Measure-Performance and Satisfaction subscales [COPM-P and COPM-S, range 0–10] and Global Rating of Change [GROC, −7 to +7]) and a retrospective investigator-rated scale (0–3, worse/not improved to significantly improved/resolved). Linear regression models identified variables predicting favorable outcomes. Results: Participants (n = 201, 74% female, mean age = 46) had median FMD duration of 24 months. The commonest FMD subtypes were gait disorder (65%), tremor (41%) and weakness (17%); 53% had ≥2 subtypes. Most patients (88%) completed a therapeutic screening process before program entry. Patient-reported outcomes at the end of the week improved substantially (COPM-P average change 3.8 ± 1.9; GROC post-program average 5.5 ± 1.7). Available investigator-rated outcomes from short-term follow-up were also positive (102/122 [84%] moderately to significantly improved/resolved). Factors predicting greater improvement in COPM-P were completing therapeutic screening, higher number of non-motor symptoms, shorter FMD duration, earlier program entry, lower baseline COPM scores, and (among screened patients) higher GROC between therapeutic screening and program start. Conclusion: Patients with diverse FMD subtypes improved substantially over a 1 week period. Utilization of therapeutic screening and greater improvement between therapeutic screening and program start were novel predictors of favorable outcomes. Non-motor symptoms did not preclude positive responses, although patients with predominant non-motor burden were excluded.