Good Morning.

Could a WhatsApp message with your rehabilitation exercises lead to similar clinical improvements than going to an in-person physiotherapy clinic?

That's the question posed by a recent randomized trial in patients with chronic low back pain. Find out the results below!

In today's edition:

🏥 Telerehabilitation for chronic low back pain

📰 Rotator cuff-sparing shoulder arthroplasty

🎙️ A chat with a former JBJS Editor-in-Chief

Tele-rehabilitation has boomed in popularity in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. It has demonstrated efficacy in a wide range of clinical areas, including obesity and diabetes. But can be equally as effective in patients with chronic low back pain -- a highly prevalent condition with significant impact on quality of life? This randomized trial aimed to find out.

68 patients with chronic non-specific low back pain were randomized to receive either tele-rehabilitation delivered via WhatsApp, or in-person physiotherapy for a total of 8 weeks. Outcomes of interest included pain, kinesiophobia, and range of motion.

• The tele-rehabilitation group reported comparable levels of pain and range of motion compared to the conventional in-person therapy in most outcomes, up to 3 months follow-up.

• The exception to this was pain intensity during the knee extension test and kinesiophobia, which were better in the tele-rehabilitation group. Conversely, range of motion was superior in knee extension in the control group.

Bottom line. Telerehabilitation appears to provide comparable clinical outcomes to in-person rehabilitation for patients recovering from chronic low back pain.

Read the full ACE Report on this study here.

There's a new shoulder arthroplasty approach on the block!

Kenneth Donohue, from Yale University, recently performed the first shoulder replacement in the East Coast which preserves the rotator cuff (stemless, rotator cuff-intact total shoulder replacement), with the hopes of offering patients a less painful and faster post-operative experience. 

Patients can begin moving the operated arm immediately, which can be a gamechanger for those with bilateral shoulder arthritis.

Read the full story here.

It's hard to understand the present -- and future -- of orthopaedic research without perusing the pages of history.

In this fantastic episode of OrthoJoe, Drs Mohit Bhandari & Marc Swiontkowski sit down with Vern Tolo, one of the most esteemed pediatric orthopaedic surgeons in the field. Dr Tolo, in addition to his clinical responsibilities over the years, served as Editor-in-Chief of JBJS and presided over a wide range of organizational changes and innovations at the journal.

His work at JBJS resulted in the creation of the American and British volumes, the launching of 3 online-only journals, the creation of subspecialty "corridors", the incorporation of video content, and more!

Watch the full podcast here.

Effectiveness of telerehabilitation in non-operatively managed shoulder conditions: a systematic review and meta-analysis – In adults with non-operatively managed shoulder conditions, does telerehabilitation compared to conventional in-person rehabilitation or home-based exercise improve pain, range of motion, and functional outcomes? (Read)

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Digitally assisted vs conventional home-based rehabilitation after rotator cuff repair: A meta-analysis – In patients undergoing rotator cuff repair, does digitally assisted home-based rehabilitation compared with conventional home-based rehabilitation improve functional outcomes and range of motion? (Read)

Effectiveness of a neuromuscular exercise program conducted with a physiotherapist in individuals with degenerative meniscal tears – In adults with degenerative meniscal tears, does a physiotherapist-supervised neuromuscular exercise program compared to a home-based exercise program improve pain, function, and performance? (Read)

Thanks for reading!

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