Jeff Manliguez
Purpose: To review the use of telerehabilitation in the management of tendinopathy injuries.
Methods: The online databases that were used to identify relevant articles included Medline via Ovid, Embase via Ovid, Pedro, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. The articles were critically appraised using the Modified Downs & Black Checklist by Downs & Black (1998).
Results: Videoconferencing, telephone, and online resources or programs were used in the studies. The effectiveness of telerehabilitation for the management of tendinopathy injuries were investigated in 7 articles which were a mix of quantitative, qualitative, and protocol-based studies. There was 1 study investigating lateral epicondylitis, 3 investigating Achilles tendinopathy, 2 investigating rotator cuff tendinopathy, and 1 investigating triceps tendinopathy. A variety of outcomes were used amongst the studies. These typically included self-reported pain and function and psychosocial measures.
Conclusion: Current research supports the use of telerehabilitation as a viable option to treat tendinopathy injuries.