Internet-Based Telerehabilitation Versus in-Person Therapeutic Exercises in Young Adult Females With Chronic Neck Pain and Forward Head Posture: Randomized Controlled Trial.

研究概要

Fifty young adult females with chronic nonspecific neck pain and forward head posture were randomized to receive either an internet-based telerehabilitation therapeutic exercise program delivered via real-time videoconferencing (n=25) or the same supervised therapeutic exercise program delivered in person in a physiotherapy laboratory (n=25). The primary outcome of interest was neck pain intensity (Visual Analog Scale). Secondary outcomes included craniovertebral angle (CVA) (posture), neck disability (Neck Disability Index (NDI)), and cervical range of motion in six planes. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, after 4 and 6 weeks of intervention, and at a 2-week follow-up. Overall, the results of the study revealed no significant group-by-time interaction for any outcome, but both groups showed statistically and clinically important improvements across time, including reductions in pain of roughly 2.2–4.1 cm, increases in craniovertebral angle of 5°–8.8°, NDI reductions of 3.3–7.1 points, and 3.5°–22.7° gains in cervical range of motion. In summary, real-time telerehabilitation was as effective as in-person supervision, suggesting telerehabilitation is a feasible and clinically valid alternative for managing chronic neck pain with forward head posture in this population.