PURPOSE: To explore the effects of telerehabilitation-based motor imagery (Tele-MI) training on motor imagery ability (MI), motor function, and performance in children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). METHODS: The research involved twenty-three children with DMD and twelve healthy children. DMD cohort were randomized into two groups: treatment (Tele-MI training and telerehabilitation-based physiotherapy program (Tele-PTP), n = 12) and control (Tele-PTP, n = 11). MI ability (Kinesthetic and Visual Imagery Questionnaire-10 (KVIQ-10), Motor Imagery Questionnaire for Children (MIQ-C), mental chronometry tests), motor function (Motor Function Measure (MFM), North Star Ambulation Assessment, Four Square Step Test) and timed performance were assessed at baseline and after 8-week training. RESULTS: MI ability scores of DMD cohort were lower than healthy children. A large interaction effect was found for KVIQ-10 visual and total, MIQ-C internal visual and kinesthetic scores, and delta time of 10-meter walk test of mental chronometry (eta2 > 0.14). The small-medium interaction effect was found in motor function and ambulation results (eta2 < 0.14). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that Tele-MI training improved MI ability of DMD cohort. The small-to-medium effects of Tele-MI training on motor function, particularly those involving the trunk, have demonstrated its potential as a complementary approach in rehabilitation to improve motor functions in children with DMD. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER AND URL: NCT06109103 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06109103?term=merve%20bora%20zereyak&rank=1).

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