Pain & Relief Rao et al., J Pain Relief 2012, 1:5 http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2167-0846.1000113 Research Article Open Access Volume 1 • Issue 5 • 1000113 J Pain Relief ISSN: 2167-0846 JPAR an open access journal Can Telerehabilitation Add a New Dimension in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis Knee? Keerthi Rao 1 *, Chandra Iyer 2 and Deepak Anap 3 1,3 Associate Professor, College of Physiotherapy, PIMS, Loni, India 2 Lecturer, College of Physiotherapy, PIMS, Loni, India Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is among the ive most disabling diseases. Aims of this study were to assess the eficacy of telerehabilitation via videoconferencing when compared to telephonic consultation for home based treatment of osteoarthritis knee. Methods: One hundred and twelve patients, 44 males and 68 females with average age of 51.35 years were divided into two groups A and B. After obtaining informed consent, a thorough evaluation was done to meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Group A were taught exercises and instructed to complete the exercises under the supervision of the physiotherapist via videoconferencing technology. For supervision of exercise completion, progression of exercises, additional demonstration, and consultation the sessions were held once every week for 5 weeks. They were also instructed to perform the exercises at home every day as directed till the next telerehabilitation session. Group B were taught the same exercises as group A and were given a home exercise program with week wise progression of the exercises illustrated for 5 weeks. Each week, a physiotherapist from the study contacted each participant by telephone for consultation and queries. Both groups were evaluated for pain, stiffness, and physical function, pre-post-intervention using the WOMAC index. Results: The percentage of difference for pain, stiffness, and physical function for group A were 53.7%, 58.94% and 50.05% respectively. On other hand for group B the percentage of differences was 31.8%, 47.78% and 26.73 % respectively. Conclusion: THR via videoconferencing is better than telephonic consultation for home based exercise program in osteoarthritis of knee. *Corresponding author: Keerthi Rao, Associate Professor, College of Physiotherapy, PIMS, Loni, India, E-mail: keerthimpt@gmail.com Received October 15, 2012; Accepted October 25, 2012; Published October 27, 2012 Citation: Rao K, Iyer C, Anap D (2012) Can Telerehabilitation Add a New Dimension in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis Knee? J Pain Relief 1:113. doi:10.4172/2167- 0846.1000113 Copyright: © 2012 Rao K, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Keywords: Telerehabilitation; Osteoarthritis Introduction When Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, he would never have imagined the subsequent change it would bring in the electronic media. Health care delivery systems in recent years highly dependent on the use of technology and electronic media to diagnose and treat various diseases and disorders. In the ield of Physiotherapy, electronic media like force plate, computerised dynography and pulmonary function tests are being widely used for diagnosing diferent ailments e.g. posture and balance disorders, Gait abnormalities, obstructive and restrictive pulmonary conditions etc and its subsequent treatment [1]. Telerehabilitation is an emerging method of delivering rehabilitation services that uses technology to serve clients, clinicians, and systems by minimizing the barriers of distance, time and cost. More speciically, ‘‘telerehabilitation can be deined as the application of telecommunication, remote sensing and operation technologies, and computing technologies to assist with the provision of medical rehabilitation services at a distance’’[2]. Much attention has been paid to the eicacy of telerehabilitation in eforts to decrease time and cost in the delivery of rehabilitation services. Some studies have also compared telerehabilitation services to in-person interventions to discover whether these approaches are ‘‘as good as’’ traditional rehabilitation approaches. However, telerehabilitation may in fact provide new opportunities that are more efective by increasing accessibility and creating the least restrictive environment [3]. Telerehabilitation was irst documented in 1959, when interactive video was used at the Nebraska Psychiatric Institute in the delivery of mental health services. Over the past 50 years, technologists and clinicians have investigated the use of bridging the gap between individuals with specialized medical needs living in remote areas and the source of specialty care [3]. Osteoarthritis can be deined as a group of overlapping distinct diseases, which may have diferent aetiologies but with similar biologic, morphologic and clinical outcomes. he articular cartilage degenerates with the development of ibrillation and issures and full thickness loss of the joint surface [4]. It is estimated that by 2030, the proportion of people with OA will have risen from 20% to 30% in those aged 60 years or over [5]. Increasing life expectancy, decreasing physical activity and increasing body weight are all considered as underlying factors. OA is the most common form of arthritis and is associated with a considerable cost to the individual and to society. A World Health Organisation report identiied OA as the 8 th leading cause of non-fatal burden in the world in 2000, accounting for 2.6% of total years lost due to disability [6].