Low-bandwidth telerehabilitation for patients who have undergone total knee replacement: Preliminary results

Abstract

We have developed a low-bandwidth, Internet-based telerehabilitation system to provide outpatient rehabilitation to patients who have undergone total knee arthroplasty. The preliminary efficacy of this treatment programme in terms of both physical and functional objective outcome measures was assessed on 21 patients. Subjects receiving a six-week rehabilitation programme were randomized to the telerehabilitation system or the usual face-to-face method. The physical and functional improvements in the telerehabilitation group were similar to those in the control group. There was a non-significant trend for greater improvements in the telerehabilitation group for most outcome measurements. The telerehabilitation programme was well received by patients. The results of this study provide evidence for the efficacy of low-bandwidth telerehabilitation consultations.

Televideo assessment using Functional Reach Test and European Stroke Scale

“…The randomized trial was a televideo-guided 6-week exercise program for 21 patients recovering from total knee replacement. This study found no significant difference between face-to-face and remote guides [17].…”

Internet-based physical assessment of people with Parkinson disease is accurate and reliable: A pilot study

“…The eHAB telerehabilitation system enables videoconferencing at 320 × 240 pixel resolution and real-scale measurement of the patient's performance on assessment items (such as balance, joint range of motion, muscle strength, and gait) through a suite of optical calibrated assessment tools. This system has been described elsewhere in the literatures [11,[13][14][15][16][17]21]. The systems were connected via a 3G network connection (Telstra Next G; Melbourne, Australia) with theoretical downlink speeds of 7.2 Mbps and uplink speeds of 5.7 Mbps.…”

“…A research team at the University of Queensland, Australia, has developed a computer-based videoconferencing system call eHAB that combines highquality videoconferencing with a battery of measurement tools that can objectively measure various aspects of functional performance across an Internet link. Studies demonstrating the validity and reliability of this system have been performed to examine physical outcome measurements [6,10], observational kinematic gait analysis [11], upper-limb range of motion in stroke patients [12], lowerlimb range of motion in an orthopedic population [13], the effectiveness of rehabilitation following total knee replacement surgery [14][15][16], and diagnostic accuracy of ankle injuries [17]. Other studies using similar videoconferencing equipment have demonstrated that telerehabilitation assessments of Functional Reach, the European Stroke Scale, and the Functioning Everyday with a Wheelchair-Capacity can be performed accurately compared with face-to-face encounters [18][19].…”

Videoconference-Based Physiotherapy and Tele-Assessment for Homebound Older Adults: A Pilot Study

“…Tele-rehabilitation appears to be an effective method by which to deliver therapy, and many studies demonstrate positive outcomes in terms of improving physical functioning (Burdea, Popescu, Hentz, & Colbert, 2000;Lai, Woo, Hui, & Chan, 2004;Piron et al, 2004;Reinkensmeyer, Member IEEE, Pang, Nessler, & Painter, 2002;Russell, Buttrum, Wootton, & Jull, 2003Sveistrup et al, 2003); with no significant differences found between face-to-face and tele-rehabilitation interventions (Guilfoyle et al, 2003;Russell et al, 2003Russell et al, , 2004Sveistrup et al, 2003). As with telemedicine interventions in general, tele-rehabilitation was well received by both patients and caregivers (Lai et al, 2004;Reinkensmeyer et al, 2002;Russell et al, 2003Russell et al, , 2004Sveistrup et al, 2003), and was easy to use even among patients with low computer literacy (Russell et al, 2003(Russell et al, , 2004.…”

“…As with telemedicine interventions in general, tele-rehabilitation was well received by both patients and caregivers (Lai et al, 2004;Reinkensmeyer et al, 2002;Russell et al, 2003Russell et al, , 2004Sveistrup et al, 2003), and was easy to use even among patients with low computer literacy (Russell et al, 2003(Russell et al, , 2004.…”