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Trial Shows Tele-Rehab Results Similar to Standard Methods

Physical therapist (BLS.gov)

(BLS.gov)

Knee replacement patients undergoing tele-rehabilitation, a postoperative rehabilitation program conducted from a remote setting like the patient’s home, experience similar results as patients who undergo traditional postoperative rehabilitation. Findings from this new study were published in the 19 January 2011 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

The research, conducted as a clinical trial, involved researchers at University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital in Brisbane (where the trial took place), and the Scottish Centre for Telehealth in Aberdeen. Tele-rehabilitation is becoming a popular alternative for patients who live in remote areas and who have no access to traditional rehabilitation centers.

The trial tested a tele-rehab program with 65 patients who had undergone knee replacement surgery, or total knee arthroplasty. The group was randomized into two groups, one that received six weeks of either traditional outpatient rehab services or Internet-based outpatient rehab.

The tele-rehab group conducted their therapy in a hospital room designed and furnished to replicate a typical home environment. Those in the test group interacted with a physical therapist through real-time live video and audio. Tele-rehab therapy sessions were limited to 45 minutes — the same length of time as the standard therapy sessions — and consisted of self-applied techniques, along with exercises and education in the postoperative management of the affected knee.

Following the six-week program, participants in the Internet-rehab group reported outcomes comparable to those of the conventional rehabilitation group, and scored better on some measures, including a reduction in joint stiffness. The team says patients receiving the tele-rehab program also reported a high level of satisfaction with the new approach.

Participants in the tele-rehab test group used equipment designed for the trial, not off-the-shelf equipment. However, the test systems used low-bandwidth videoconferencing that operates over dial-up telephone lines in order to simulate the computer connections commonly found in rural or remote regions.

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