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Internet-based physical therapy yielded outcomes similar to outpatient physical therapy
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ORLANDO — Patients who participated in internet-based physical therapy after partial meniscectomy experienced outcomes equivalent to those found with outpatient physical therapy, according to results presented at the Arthroscopy Association of North America Annual Meeting.
Sarah Ulcoq, BAppSc, MOT, and colleagues randomly assigned 127 patients with partial meniscectomy undergoing knee arthroscopy to either an outpatient or internet-based physical therapy program. Researchers collected Veterans RAND 12 Item Health Survey (VR-12), IKDC, modified Cincinnati Rating System and Lysholm scores preoperatively and 1 week, 6 weeks and 6 months after surgery.
“At both 6 weeks and final 6-month follow-up, there was no significant difference in IKDC scores between the two groups,” Ulcoq said in her presentation here. “There was also no significant difference in the three secondary outcome measures between the [physical therapy] PT group online and the outpatient physical therapy.”
Ulcoq noted both groups had a positive trend but no significant differences in Lysholm, modified Cincinnati Rating System and VR-12 physical and mental scores from preoperatively to 6 months.
“Their satisfaction on the outpatient PT group was 7.67 and for the online PT group, it was 7.59, which had no statistical difference between the two,” Ulcoq said. – by Casey Tingle
Reference:
Mazur DW, et al. Comparison of traditional physical therapy to internet-based physical therapy after knee arthroscopy: A prospective randomized controlled trial. Presented at: Arthroscopy Association of North America Annual Meeting; May 2-4, 2019; Orlando.
Disclosure: Ulcoq reports no relevant financial disclosures.