Digital Rehabilitation for Elbow Pain Musculoskeletal Conditions: A Prospective Longitudinal Cohort Study

Dora Janela, Fabíola Costa, Maria Molinos, Robert G. Moulder, Jorge Lains, Virgílio Bento, Justin K. Scheer, Vijay Yanamadala, Steven P. Cohen and Fernando Dias Correia
Additional contact information
Dora Janela: SWORD Health, Inc., Draper, UT 84043, USA
Fabíola Costa: SWORD Health, Inc., Draper, UT 84043, USA
Maria Molinos: SWORD Health, Inc., Draper, UT 84043, USA
Robert G. Moulder: Institute for Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Jorge Lains: Rovisco Pais Medical and Rehabilitation Centre, 3064-908 Tocha, Portugal
Virgílio Bento: SWORD Health, Inc., Draper, UT 84043, USA
Justin K. Scheer: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
Vijay Yanamadala: SWORD Health, Inc., Draper, UT 84043, USA
Steven P. Cohen: Department of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
Fernando Dias Correia: SWORD Health, Inc., Draper, UT 84043, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-16

Abstract: Elbow musculoskeletal pain (EP) is a major cause of disability. Telerehabilitation has shown great potential in mitigating musculoskeletal pain conditions, but EP is less explored. This single-arm interventional study investigates clinical outcomes and engagement levels of a completely remote multimodal digital care program (DCP) in patients with EP. The DCP consisted of exercise, education, and cognitive-behavioral therapy for 8 weeks. Primary outcome: disability change (through the Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH), treatment response cut-offs: 12.0-point reduction and 30% change). Secondary outcomes: pain, analgesic intake, surgery intent, mental health, fear–avoidance beliefs, work productivity, and patient engagement. Of the 132 individuals that started the DCP, 112 (84.8%) completed the intervention. Significant improvements were observed in QuickDASH with an average reduction of 48.7% (11.9, 95% CI 9.8; 14.0), with 75.3% of participants reporting ≥30% change and 47.7% reporting ≥12.0 points. Disability change was accompanied by reductions in pain (53.1%), surgery intent (57.5%), anxiety (59.8%), depression (68.9%), fear–avoidance beliefs (34.2%), and productivity impairment (72.3%). Engagement (3.5 (SD 1.4) sessions per week) and satisfaction 8.5/10 (SD 1.6) were high. The significant improvement observed in clinical outcomes, alongside high engagement, and satisfaction suggests patient acceptance of this care delivery mode.

Keywords: musculoskeletal pain; physical therapy; telerehabilitation; digital therapy; eHealth; motion trackers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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