Telerehabilitation After Shoulder Arthroplasty

October 24, 2023 updated by: Olivia C. O'Reilly

Physical Therapy Following Shoulder Arthroplasty: An Assessment of Telerehabilitation vs. In-Person Physical Therapy

The use of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) has increased dramatically in the United States in recent years. The importance of postoperative physical therapy in the setting of anatomic total shoulder is well understood and explored in the literature. The literature describing postoperative physical therapy for RSA, however, is scarce and somewhat limited to the field of physiatry in the form of clinical commentary on rehabilitation programs.In addition, the use of formal in-person therapy versus physician-guided home therapy has been explored in total shoulder arthroplasty, demonstrating similar post-operative range of motion and patient-reported outcome (PROs) between groups. Furthermore, previous research into "telerehabilitation" or remote physical therapy through a video-based platform has demonstrated noninferiority in outcomes in multiple orthopedic procedures, including hip and knee arthroplasty and reverse shoulder arthroplasty. Telehealth therapy has not yet been formally evaluated in a randomized approach for reverse or anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, emphasis on social distancing, and multiple states having issued "stay at home" orders, a study into the effectiveness of telerehabilitation on current postoperative outcomes in shoulder arthroplasty may influence postoperative management and allow patients an alternative route for rehabilitation that allows more flexibility in completing, as well as limits potentially extraneous travel and exposure. The project will be a randomized control trial evaluating formal in-person physical therapy versus telerehabilitation after shoulder arthroplasty. Patients who undergo shoulder arthroplasty will complete either formal physical therapy or telerehabilitation postoperatively. The aim will be to identify any differences in shoulder range of motion, pain, or patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) between those who complete in-person physical therapy versus telerehabilitation therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

After agreeing to participate and signing the informed consent, subjects will be randomized into in person physical therapy group or telerehabilitation group. At the 2-week postoperative visit, the subject will receive a sealed envelope which will contain the information about the group they have randomly been assigned to. Both groups (in person therapy and telerehabilitation) are expected to start physical therapy at 6-week after surgery, this means that all subjects will have 4 weeks after being assigned to program and organize for physical therapy.

Subjects who are randomized to in-person therapy will present to a physical therapist of their choice with a established written protocol. The therapy protocol is developed in conjunction with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Department of Physical Therapy. Subjects are recommended to attend in-person appointments at least once a week as well as perform home exercises. Progress with therapy will be collected with weekly phone calls from the research team. It is expected most subjects will complete formal physical therapy by 6 months postoperative attending on average 5-6 visits, measured by the time at which patient's regain functional range of motion or are instructed by their therapist to discontinue. Shoulder range of motion will be measured with a goniometer preoperatively, as well as 3,6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively at their regularly scheduled clinic visit. (Shoulder arthroplasty patients regularly return to clinic at these intervals and would not be required to present to clinic in addition to these time points. Patients also regularly return to clinic at 2 weeks and 6 weeks postoperatively as a part of their normal clinical follow up for wound check and general assessment.) Subjects who are randomized to telerehabilitation will be provided access to telemedicine visits with a physical therapist. These patients will have one first in-person physical therapy visit before starting telerehabilitation, and another in-person physical therapy visit at 3 months to assess progress. Telerehabilitation visits will be performed via secure usage of the electronic medical record (EMR). Progress with telerehabilitation will be collected with weekly phone calls from the research team. To ensure uniformity, and to allow for appropriate access to telehealth services, all telehealth visits will be carried out through the study institution's Department of Physical Therapy. It is expected most patients will complete formal physical therapy by 6 months postoperative measured by the time at which patient's regain functional range of motion or patients are satisfied with their results. Shoulder range of motion will be measured with a goniometer preoperatively, as well as 3,6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively at their regularly scheduled clinic visit. (Shoulder arthroplasty patients regularly return to clinic at these intervals and would not be required to present to clinic in addition to these time points. Patients also regularly return to clinic at 2 weeks and 6 weeks postoperatively as a part of their normal clinical follow up for wound check and general assessment.)

Review of the medical record will collect the following demographic information: medical record number, surgical date, age, BMI, smoking status, rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, rotator cuff arthropathy diagnosis, subscapularis repair description, intraoperative integrity of the rotator cuff, physical therapy modality (in-person vs. telerehabilitation), physical therapy progress notes, and therapy compliance. Outcome measures will include shoulder range of motion including forward flexion, internal and external rotation, and all patient-reported outcome measures (PROs) assigned to shoulder arthroplasty patients already available for collection in Epic.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

93

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Iowa
      • Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52242
        • Brendan Patterson

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • All patients being indicated for primary shoulder arthroplasty, both anatomic and reverse shoulder arthroplasty, by one of two orthopedic shoulder surgeons.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients undergoing revision procedures, concomitant procedures (for example, tendon transfer), arthroplasty for fracture, and those who do not wish to participate

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Telerehabilitation
Subjects who are randomized to telerehabilitation will be provided access to telemedicine visits with a physical therapist. Patients will have one in-person physical therapy visit before starting telerehabilitation, and another in-person visit at 3 months to assess progress. Telerehabilitation visits will be performed via secure usage of the electronic medical record (EMR). To ensure uniformity, and to allow for appropriate access to telehealth services, all telehealth visits will be carried out through the study institution's Department of Physical Therapy. It is expected most patients will complete formal physical therapy by 6 months postoperative measured by the time at which patient's regain functional range of motion or patients are satisfied with their results. Shoulder range of motion will be measured with a goniometer preoperatively, as well as 3,6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively at their regularly scheduled clinic visit.
Other: Telerehabilitation; physical therapy via telecommunication device (i.e. online video conferencing)
Postoperative physical therapy performed through online video conferencing with a licensed physical therapist while the patient remains remote/at home rather than in person
No Intervention: Traditional In-Person Physical Therapy
Subjects who are randomized to in-person therapy will present to a physical therapist of their choice with a established written protocol. The therapy protocol is developed in conjunction with the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Department of Physical Therapy. Subjects are recommended to attend in-person appointments at least once a week as well as perform home exercises. Progress with therapy will be collected with weekly phone calls from the research team. It is expected most subjects will complete formal physical therapy by 6 months postoperative attending on average 5-6 visits, measured by the time at which patient's regain functional range of motion or are instructed by their therapist to discontinue. Shoulder range of motion will be measured with a goniometer preoperatively, as well as 3,6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively at their regularly scheduled clinic visit.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Shoulder range of motion
Time Frame: 2 years
Patient's ability to actively and passively move the shoulder in multiple planes of motion
2 years
American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score
Time Frame: 2 years
A patient reported outcome measure utilizing a 100-point scale that assesses pain (50 points) and activities of daily living (50 points). A higher score (100) indicates a better shoulder condition.
2 years
PROMIS Pain Interference
Time Frame: 2 years
A patient reported outcome measure detailing self-reported consequences of pain and the extent to which, over a immediate 7-day recall period, pain influences patient well-being and activity. A higher score indicates a higher degree of pain interference.
2 years
PROMIS Global Health score
Time Frame: 2 years
A patient reported outcome measure detailing self-reported markers of overall patient health. A higher score represents a healthier patient in that specific domain.
2 years
Visual Analog Scale for Pain
Time Frame: 2 years
A patient reported outcome measure detailing pain intensity using a numerical value from 1-10. A higher score indicates worse pain.
2 years

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Olivia C. O'Reilly

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Olivia O'Reilly, MD, University of Iowa
  • Principal Investigator: Brendan M Patterson, MD, MPH, University of Iowa

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 18, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 31, 2025

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 15, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 11, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

August 12, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 25, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 24, 2023

Last Verified

October 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 202104097

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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