Clinical evaluation of a myofeedback-based teletreatment service applied in the workplace: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

We evaluated the clinical effects of a myofeedback-based teletreatment service in terms of pain, pain-related disability and work ability. We also investigated the time investment/savings of this treatment with respect to conventional care. Sixty-five women with neck and shoulder pain at work participated in the study. Thirty-three took part in the teletreatment and 32 participated in a control group which continued with conventional care. Questionnaires were completed before the start of the intervention (baseline) and at initial follow-up (T0) and 3 months (T3) after the intervention ended. A general linear model analysis for repeated measurements showed an improvement in terms of pain and work ability for both groups taken together, with no differences between them. Non-parametric tests showed an intervention effect in pain-related disability for both groups together and no differences between them when tested at baseline, T0 and T3. The time saved in relation to conventional care was mainly from reduced travel time, which was 41 min per teleconsultation. The teletreatment service allowed employees to take part in muscle relaxation training while performing their regular work. The clinical evaluation showed that the treatment was on par with conventional care, but without the effort and time loss associated with regular visits to the clinic. We conclude that the myofeedback-based teletreatment service has potential for addressing neck and shoulder symptoms at the workplace.

Personalized Coaching Systems to support healthy behavior in people with chronic conditions

“…The Pain PCS was developed and evaluated in various studies using the DeChant framework (DeChant et al, 1996) and its results are described in various papers (Huis in't Veld et al, 2008;Kosterink et al, 2010;Sandsjo et al, 2010). DeChant et al (1996) proposed a framework, a staged approach, for telemedicine evaluation studies in which the type of assessment is tailored to the development life cycle of the technology.…”

“…Eighty percent of the subjects reported a reduction in pain intensity and disability directly after end of treatment. Kosterink et al (2010) and Sandsjo et al (2010) performed a large scale randomized controlled trial into the Pain PCS for patients with non-specific neck and shoulder pain and work related musculoskeletal neck shoulder pain, respectively. Kosterink included 71 subjects (36 in the PCS group and 35 in the conventional care group) and showed that the Pain PCS was at least as effective clinically as conventional care.…”

“…The teletreatment also increased efficiency for therapists by almost 20% and patients experienced the benefits of less travel time and travel costs by remote consultation. Sandsjo et al (2010) included 65 females with neck-shoulder pain at work (33 in the PCS group and 32 in the control group continuing on-going traditional care). Results showed an improvement in terms of pain and work ability for both groups with no differences found between them.…”

“…There are an increasing number of clinical studies in which PCS's were used to change behavior. The Pain PCS has been evaluated in a considerable number of patients, showing that the PCS treatment has similar outcome as traditional treatment, but also that it achieves this outcome without the efforts and time losses associated with regular visits to the clinic (Kosterink et al, 2010;Sandsjo et al, 2010). The Activity PHS has been evaluated in several chronic patients groups, showing promising results regarding health outcomes, adherence to the motivational cues and changes in activity behavior (Evering, 2013;Tabak et al, 2014aTabak et al, ,b,c, 2013van Weering et al, 2012).…”

Introducing remote physical rehabilitation for patients with chronic disorders by means of telemedicine

“…The power calculation, based on the results of a comparable tele-rehabilitation service [14,15], indicated that at least 26 patients with CLBP and 32 patients with PD should be included in each group. The appropriate ethics committee approved the study.…”