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Digitally Assisted Versus Conventional Home-Based Rehabilitation After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: A Randomized
Fernando Dias Correia1, Maria Molinos, Sara Luís
1From the Neurology Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário do Porto, Porto, Portugal (FDC); SWORD Health Technologies, Inc, Salt Lake City, Utah (FDC, MM, SL, DC, CC, PC, VB); Orthopaedics Department, Hospital da Prelada-Domingos Braga da Cruz, Porto, Portugal (RS); Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The University of Texas Health Science Center McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas (GF); TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, Texas (GF); Rovisco Pais Medical and Rehabilitation Centre, Tocha, Portugal (JL); and Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra University, Coimbra, Portugal (JL).
Objective:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical impact of a 12-wk home-based digitally assisted rehabilitation program after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair against conventional home-based rehabilitation.
Design:
The digital therapy group performed independent technology-assisted sessions complemented with 13 face-to-face sessions, and the conventional therapy group had conventional face-to-face physical therapy (30 sessions). Primary outcome was functional change between baseline and 12 wks, measured through the Constant-Murley score. Secondary outcomes were the change in the QuickDASH Scale and shoulder range of motion.
Results:
Fifty participants enrolled; 41 completed the 12-wk program (23 digital therapy group vs. 18 conventional therapy group), and 32 (15 vs. 17) were available for the 12-mo follow-up assessment. No differences were found between groups regarding study endpoints at the end of the 12-wk program. However, follow-up results revealed the superiority of the digital therapy group for QuickDASH (P = 0.043), as well as an interaction between time and group in the Constant-Murley score (P = 0.047) in favor of the digital therapy group.
Conclusions:
The results demonstrate that digital therapeutics can be used to achieve similar, if not superior, short- and long-term outcomes as conventional approaches after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, while being far less human resource intensive than conventional care.Level of evidence: II.
