Physiotherapy at a distance: a controlled study of rehabilitation at home after a shoulder joint operation.
We explored the benefit of video communication in home rehabilitation after shoulder joint replacement and compared it to referral for physiotherapy in the conventional way. A total of 22 patients were included in the study. The intervention group (n = 10) had training at home under the supervision of a physiotherapist at the hospital using videoconferencing. The control group (n = 12) had physiotherapy training in a conventional way in their home town. All patients had the same postoperative, three-phase-programme for two months. The outcome measures were a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, range of motion (ROM), shoulder function ability (Constant score and SRQ-S) and health-related quality of life (SF-36). Questions about areas of priority for improvement and general satisfaction with the shoulder were also included. The telemedicine group received a greater number of treatments compared to the control group. After the intervention, there were significant improvements in VAS-pain, Constant score and SRQ-S for both groups. The telemedicine group improved significantly more in all three measurements than the control group (P < 0.001 for all). When changes from baseline to follow-up were compared, the telemedicine group improved significantly more in terms of decrease in pain (P = 0.004) and vitality (P = 0.001) than the control group. Despite some limitations, there seem to be clear benefits from physiotherapy at a distance with a telemedicine technique that allows patients to obtain access to physiotherapy at home.
Eriksson
Lisbeth
L
Department of Physiotherapy, Sunderby Hospital, 971 80 Luleå, Sweden. lisbeth.eriksson@ltu.se
Lindström
Britta
B
Gard
Gunvor
G
Lysholm
Jack
J
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019643:Arthroplasty, Replacement / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011788:Quality of Life; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000379:methods*; D012785:Shoulder Joint / Q000601:surgery; D013548:Sweden; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D049269:Videoconferencing