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Purpose: Kinesio taping (KT) is an approach that has been used in the rehabilitation of patients with chronic stroke. The aim of this review is to evaluate the effectiveness of KT alone or combined with other interventions for patients with chronic stroke., Materials and Methods: The search was performed on CENTRAL, EMBASE, PEDro, and five other databases and two trial registries up to July 2022. We included randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of KT compared to control interventions. The primary outcomes were upper limb function and gait. We assessed the risk of bias in the included studies using the PEDro scale. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach., Results: We included 14 RCTs undertaken in six different countries. PEDro score ranged from 4 to 9 points. There is very-low certainty evidence that KT has no effect on gait, balance, and postural control. We found very-low certainty evidence of a slightly benefit when used in addition to other therapies for gait, balance and postural control, and pain intensity., Conclusions: Our study findings show KT does not have enough robust evidence for improving upper limb function, gait, balance and postural control, and pain intensity in chronic stroke patients.

Background: There are no studies investigating the methodological and report quality of systematic reviews of non-pharmacological interventions for musculoskeletal pain management among children and adolescents., Objective: To evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews on conservative non-pharmacological pain management in children and adolescents with musculoskeletal pain., Methods: Searches were conducted on the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Medline, Embase, and three other databases. Two pairs of reviewers independently assessed each article according to the predetermined selection criteria. We assessed the methodological quality of systematic reviews, using the AMSTAR 2 checklist and the quality of reporting, using PRISMA checklist. Descriptive analysis was used to summarise the characteristics of all included systematic reviews. The percentage of systematic reviews achieving each item from the AMSTAR 2, PRISMA checklist and the overall confidence in the results were described., Results: We included 17 systematic reviews of conservative non-pharmacological pain management for musculoskeletal pain in children and adolescents. Of the 17 systematic reviews included, nine (53%) were rated as "critically low", seven (41%) were rated as "low", and one (6%) was rated as "high" methodological quality by AMSTAR-2. The reporting quality by items from PRISMA range from 17.6% (95% CI 6.2 to 41) to 100% (95% CI 81.6 to 100)., Conclusion: This systematic review of physical interventions in children and adolescents showed overall 'very low' to 'high' methodological quality and usually poor reporting quality., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Telehealth has emerged as an alternative model for treatment delivery and has become an important component of health service delivery. However, there is inconsistency in the use of terminologies and a lack of research priorities in telehealth in musculoskeletal pain. The purpose of this international, multidisciplinary expert panel assembled in a modified three-round e-Delphi survey is to achieve a consensus on research priorities and for the standard terminology for musculoskeletal pain telehealth practice., Methods: In this international modified e-Delphi survey, we invited an expert panel consisting of researchers, clinicians, consumer representatives, industry partners, healthcare managers, and policymakers to participate in a three-round e-Delphi. Expert panels were identified through the Expertscape website, PubMed database, social media, and a snowball approach. In Round 1, potential research priorities and terminologies were presented to panel members. Panel members rated the agreement of each research priority on a 5-point Likert scale and an 11-point numerical scale, and each terminology on a 5-point Likert scale for the "telehealth in musculoskeletal pain " field over rounds. At least 80% of the panel members were required to agree to be deemed a consensus. We analyzed the data descriptively and assessed the stability of the results using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed rank test., Results: We performed an international e-Delphi survey from February to August 2022. Of 694 invited people, 160 panel members participated in the first round, 133 in the second round (83% retention), and 134 in the third round (84% retention). Most of the panel members were researchers 76 (47%), clinicians 57 (36%), and consumer representatives 9 (6%) of both genders especially from Brazil 31 (19%), India 22 (14%), and Australia 19 (12%) in the first round. The panel identified fourteen telehealth research priorities spanned topics including the development of strategies using information and communication technology, telehealth implementation services, the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of telehealth interventions, equity of telehealth interventions, qualitative research and eHealth literacy in musculoskeletal pain conditions from an initial list of 20 research priorities. The consensus was reached for "digital health" and "telehealth" as standard terminologies from an initial list of 37 terminologies., Conclusion: An international, multidisciplinary expert consensus recommends that future research should consider the 14 research priorities for telehealth musculoskeletal pain reached. Additionally, the terms digital health and telehealth as the most appropriate terminologies to be used in musculoskeletal telehealth research., Register: Open Science Framework ( https://osf.io/tqmz2/ )., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Given the rapid advances in communication technology and the need that emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth initiatives have been widely used worldwide. This masterclass aims to provide an overview of telerehabilitation for musculoskeletal conditions, synthesizing the different terminologies used to describe telehealth and telerehabilitation, its effectiveness and how to use it in clinical practice, barriers and facilitators for the implementation in health services, and discuss the need of a curriculum education for the near future., Main Body: Telerehabilitation refers to the use of information and communication technologies provided by any healthcare professionals for rehabilitation services. Telerehabilitation is a safe and effective option in the management of musculoskeletal conditions in different models of delivery. There are many technologies, with different costs and benefits, synchronous and asynchronous, that can be used for telerehabilitation: telephone, email, mobile health, messaging, web-based systems and videoconferences applications. To ensure a better practice of telerehabilitation, the clinician should certify safety and access, and appropriateness of environment, communication, technology, assessment, and therapeutic prescription. Despite the positive effect of telerehabilitation in musculoskeletal disorders, a suboptimal telerehabilitation implementation may have happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in countries where telehealth was not a reality, and clinicians lacked training and guidance. This emphasizes the need to identify the necessary curriculum content to guide future clinicians in their skills and knowledge for telerehabilitation. There are some challenges and barriers that must be carefully accounted for to contribute to a health service that is inclusive and relevant to health professionals and end users., Conclusions: Telerehabilitation can promote patient engagement in health care and plays an important role in improving health outcomes in patients with musculoskeletal conditions. Digital health technologies can also offer new opportunities to educate patients and facilitate the process of behavior change to a healthy lifestyle. Currently, the main needs in telerehabilitation are the inclusion of it in health curriculums in higher education and the development of cost-effectiveness and implementation trials, especially in low- and middle-income countries where access, investments and digital health literacy are limited., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Internet-based self-management programs and telerehabilitation initiatives have increased and have been extensively used for delivering health care in many areas. These programs overcome common barriers that patients face with traditional face-to-face health care, such as travel expenditures, lack of time, and high demand on the public health system. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this mode of web-based health care delivery had become more popular. However, there is still a lack of studies testing this mode of delivery in low- and middle-income countries. To gain a better understanding of the context, feasibility, and factors involved in the implementation of a web-based program, pilot and implementation studies are necessary. These studies can better inform whether a strategy is feasible, acceptable, and adequate for its purposes and for optimizing resource allocation., Objective: This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, usability, and implementation context of a self-management internet-based program based on exercises and pain education (ReabilitaDOR) in people with chronic musculoskeletal pain and to compare this program with a program using only a web-based self-management booklet., Methods: The study design was a parallel pilot study of a prospectively registered, assessor-blinded, 2-arm randomized controlled trial with economic evaluation. This study was performed using waiting lists of physiotherapy and rehabilitation centers and advertisements on social media networks. The participants were 65 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain aged between 18 and 60 years. The effects of an 8-week telerehabilitation program based on exercises and pain education (intervention group) were compared with those of a program based only on a web-based self-management booklet (control group). The main outcome measures were implementation outcomes of patients' perceptions of acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, and usability of the program and the societal costs and feasibility of the main trial at 8-week posttreatment follow-up. Adverse events were also analyzed., Results: In total, 56 participants were analyzed at the 8-week follow-up. The intervention group showed responses with a mean of 4.5 (SD 0.6) points for acceptability, 4.5 (SD 0.5) points for appropriateness, and 4.5 (SD 0.6) points for feasibility measured on a 1 to 5 scale. All patients in the intervention group showed satisfactory responses to the system usability outcome. There is satisfactory evidence for the feasibility of the main trial. For costs related to the interventions, health care, patients, and loss of productivity at 8 weeks, we found a total expenditure of US $278.30 per patient in the intervention group and US $141.52 per patient in the control group. No adverse events were reported during the intervention period., Conclusions: We found that the ReabilitaDOR program is feasible, appropriate, and acceptable from the users' implementation perspective. This system was considered usable by all the participants, and the main trial seemed feasible. Cost data were viable to be collected, and the program is likely to be safe., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04274439; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04274439., (©Iuri Fioratti, Gisela Cristiane Miyamoto, Junior Vitorino Fandim, Camila Pereira Pontes Ribeiro, Geovana Domingues Batista, Gabriella Evangelista Freitas, Andressa Santos Palomo, Felipe José Jandré dos Reis, Leonardo Oliveira Pena Costa, Christopher G Maher, Bruno Tirotti Saragiotto. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 30.08.2022.)

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is one of the main causes of disability in childhood. Virtual reality (VR) has been used as a treatment option in this population, however its effectiveness is unclear., Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of VR in patients with CP., Methods: We conducted electronic searches in EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane library, PEDro, AMED, PsycoINFO, and LILACS databases and trial site registries such as ClinicalTrials.gov and ICTRP. We included randomized controlled trials that tested the use of VR alone or in combination with other interventions compared to more conventional rehabilitation or usual care in individuals with CP. The primary outcomes were upper and lower limb function, postural control, and balance. The secondary outcomes included global motor function, perception, cognition and spatial functions, motivation, motor learning, and adverse events. Two independent reviewers extracted and assessed included articles for risk of bias using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. We use a meta-analysis with random effect model whenever possible. We analyzed the quality of evidence using theGRADE approach., Results: We included 38 trials (pooled n = 1233 participants) in this review. There is very low quality of evidence that VR plus conventional rehabilitation is better than conventional rehabilitation for upper limb function. There is also very low quality evidence that VR alone is no better than conventional rehabilitation for upper and lower limb function. No adverse events were observed among the 10 trials that provided information on this outcome., Conclusion: At present we have very limited to limited confidence in effect estimation for utilization of VR in this population. Future studies may change our confidence in results and effect estimates., Protocol Registration: PROSPERO CRD 42018102759., (Copyright © 2020 Associação Brasileira de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Fisioterapia. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Neck pain is a common condition with a high prevalence worldwide. Neck pain is associated with significant levels of disability and is widely considered an important public health problem. Neck pain is defined as pain perceived between the superior nuchal line and the spinous process of the first thoracic vertebra. In some types of neck conditions, the pain can be referred to the head, trunk and upper limbs. This article aims to provide an overview of the available evidence on prevalence, costs, diagnosis, prognosis, risk factors, prevention and management of patients with neck pain.

Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is one of the main causes of years lived with disability and generates the highest cost of health care among chronic pain conditions. Internet-based treatments have been shown to be an alternative for the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, in addition to reducing barriers such as travel, high demands on the public health system, lack of time, lack of insurance coverage for private care, and high costs for long-term treatment. The aim of this clinical trial is to develop and test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of, an internet-based self-management program based on pain education and exercise for people with chronic musculoskeletal pain., Methods: This is a prospectively registered, assessor-blinded, two-arm randomised controlled trial with economic evaluation comparing the Internet-based pain education and exercise intervention with a control group that will receive an online booklet. One hundred and sixty patients will be recruited from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Follow-ups will be conducted in post-treatment, 6 and 12 months after randomisation. The conduct of the study, as well as the evaluations and follow-ups will be carried out entirely remotely, through online platforms and telephone calls. The primary outcome will be pain intensity at post-treatment (8 weeks) measured using the 11-item Pain Numerical Rating Scale. Secondary outcomes will be biopsychosocial factors presents in the chronic musculoskeletal pain condition. Costs due to chronic musculoskeletal pain will be also measured, and cost-effectiveness analysis from a societal perspective will performed., Discussion: Our hypothesis is that internet-based pain education and exercise will be better than an online booklet in reducing pain and improving biopsychosocial outcomes in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. In addition, we believe that there will be good acceptance of patients for the internet-based intervention and that internet-based intervention will be more cost effective than the online booklet., Trial Registration: The study was prospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT04274439 , registered 18 February 2020).

Low back pain (LBP) is extremely common and causes an enormous burden on the society. This perspective article aims to provide an evidence-based summary in the field of LBP. More specifically, we aimed to present epidemiological data on cost, diagnosis, prognosis, prevention and interventions for patients with LBP. It is critical that both clinicians and policymakers follow best practices by using high-value care for patients with LBP. In addition, nonevidence-based procedures must be immediately abandoned. These actions are likely to reduce societal costs and will improve the quality of life of these patients.