Can you be a manual therapist without using your hands?

Abstract

Background To align with current best practices, manual therapists have refined their treatment options to include exercise and pain education for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain. In this commentary, we suggest that manual therapists should also add telehealth to their toolbox. Thus, we aim to discuss the use of telehealth by manual therapists caring for patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Main body Telehealth can be delivered to the patient in different modes, such as real-time clinical contact or asynchronously. Platforms vary from websites and smartphone apps to virtual reality systems. Telehealth may be an effective approach, especially for improving pain and function in people with musculoskeletal pain, and it has the potential to reduce the individual and socioeconomic burden of musculoskeletal conditions. However, the certainty of evidence reported in systematic reviews is often low. Factors such as convenience, flexibility, undivided attention from the clinician, user-friendly platforms, goal setting, and use of evidence-based information are all enablers for telehealth use and improving patients’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and self-management. Barriers to widening the use of telehealth in musculoskeletal care include the reliability of technology, data privacy issues, difficult to build therapeutic alliance, one-size-fits-all approaches, digital health literacy, and payment models. Conclusion We suggest that practitioners of manual medicine make telehealth part of their clinical toolbox where it makes sense and where there is evidence that it is beneficial for people who seek their care.

Videotherapie: Gekommen, um zu bleiben?

“…Die Ergebnisse eines Umbrella-Reviews geben weitere Hinweise darauf, dass digitale den klassischen Interventionen, bezogen auf Schmerzintensität, Behinderung, psychologische Funktion, Lebensqualität und Selbstwirksamkeit, nicht in ihrer Wirksamkeit unterlegen sind [10]. Saragiotto et al führen zudem das Potenzial an, die individuelle und sozioökonomische Belastung durch Erkrankungen des Bewegungsapparats zu verringern [11]. Dennoch ist die Evidenzlage zur Videotherapie nicht ausreichend.…”

A new paradigm for musculoskeletal pain care: moving beyond structural impairments. Conclusion of a chiropractic and manual therapies thematic series

“…Can you be a manual therapist without using your hands? [ 6 ] Commentary This commentary discusses the use of telehealth by manual therapists. Access to online information,.…”

“…Advances in technology and changes in response to the COVID pandemic are accelerating the use of telehealth, which raises unique challenges for developing an effective patient-provider relationships. This and other important considerations for using telehealth delivery are explored in the commentary by Saragiotti and colleagues [ 6 ].…”