Effect of Internet-Based Rehabilitation Programs on Improvement of Pain and Physical Function in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic, debilitating, and degenerative joint disease. However, it is difficult for patients with knee OA to access conventional rehabilitation when discharging from the hospital. Internet-based rehabilitation is one of the promising telemedicine strategies to provide a means combining monitoring, guidance, and treatment for patients with knee OA. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis for assessing the effect of internet-based rehabilitation programs on pain and physical function in patients with knee OA. METHODS: Keywords related to knee OA and internet-based rehabilitation were systematically searched in the Web of Science, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Scopus, PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database), CNKI, SinoMed, and WANFANG databases from January 2000 to April 2020. Only randomized controlled trials were included. The authors independently screened the literature. The main outcome measures were focused on pain and physical function. A meta-analysis was performed on the collected data. Review Manager (RevMan, version 5.3) was used for all analyses. RESULTS: The systematic review identified 6 randomized controlled trials, 4 of which were included in the meta-analysis, comprising a total of 791 patients with knee OA. The meta-analysis with the fixed-effects model showed that the internet-based rehabilitation programs could significantly alleviate the osteoarthritic pain for patients compared with conventional rehabilitation (standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.21, 95% CI -0.4 to -0.01, P=.04). No significant difference was found in the improvement of physical function in patients with knee OA compared with conventional rehabilitation within 2 to 12 months (SMD -0.08, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.12, P=.43). CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review shows that internet-based rehabilitation programs could improve the pain but not physical function for patients with knee OA. However, there was a very small number of studies that could be included in the review and meta-analysis. Thus, further studies with large sample sizes are warranted to promote the effectiveness of internet-based rehabilitation and to develop its personalized design.

Effect of IoT-based power cycling and quadriceps training on pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a chronic musculoskeletal disease affecting the entire joint. Exercise therapy is the core treatment plan for non-surgical treatment of KOA, and tele-rehabilitation is also applied to KOA, but there is a lack of research on the comparison of pain and function recovery between different exercise methods combined Internet respectively. The study aims to compare the effects of power cycling and quadriceps training combined with online guidance separately on KOA mitigation of pain, recovery of function, quality of life, and adherence of participants in the community, compared to the control group. METHODS: This study is a single-blind, 12-week parallel randomized controlled trial. Seventy-two participants aged ≥ 50 years with KOA will be randomized into either the power cycling group, the quadriceps group or the control group. The intervention will be performed three times per week during 12 weeks. Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline, and at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after allocation. The primary outcome will be self-reported pain, assessed with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain subscale. Secondary outcomes will include mitigation of knee pain, quality of life, improvement of functional physical performance, adherence of participants. DISCUSSION: By summarizing the study's strengths and limitations, this trial results may guide tele-rehabilitation of KOA in the community.Trial registration: The study was registered in the clinical trial registry ChiCTR2200059255, 27/04/2022.

The feasibility and effectiveness of internet-based rehabilitation for patients with knee osteoarthritis: A study protocol of randomized controlled trial in the community setting.

BACKGROUND: Internet-based rehabilitation can ease the progression of chronic diseases. There had been studies on internet-based rehabilitation of knee osteoarthritis (OA), but them were conducted at home and ignored the potential benefits in the community setting. This study will explore the feasibility and effectiveness of internet-based rehabilitation accompanies wearable devices in the community setting for the patients with knee OA. METHODS: An assessor-blinded randomized controlled feasibility trial will be performed to study the feasibility and effectiveness of internet-based rehabilitation program for the patients with knee OA in the community setting. Forty participants with knee OA will be recruited and randomly allocated into internet-based rehabilitation group (IRG) or control group (CG). The interventions of IRG will be performed in the community setting via web-based platform and wearable devices. The outcome measures will be conducted at baseline, and post-intervention 6 weeks, 12 weeks during the study. The feasibility will be tested by the proportion of participants who will complete the internet-based rehabilitation program within 12 weeks in IRG as well as the compliance and satisfaction. Additionally, the effectiveness of internet-based rehabilitation will be assessed by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, 11-point Numerical Rating Scale and Short Form-36 quality-of-life questionnaire. CONCLUSION: The internet-based rehabilitation program and community-based interventions is feasible and efficacy to ameliorate the osteoarthritic pain and promote the physical function and quality of life for the patients with knee OA in the community setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The study was registered in the clinical trial registry ChiCTR2000033397.