The Efficacy of Telerehabilitation Program for Improvement of Upper Limb Function Among Adults Post Elbow Fractures

The elbow joint has an important role in the upper limb function. The rehabilitation process after injury is complex as a result of the common complications of the elbow after trauma, as stiffness, restriction in range of motion and occurrence of Heterotopic Ossification. According to the literature, early active mobilization reduces the incidence of these complications. Yet, current treatment protocols are based mainly on clinical experience and there is a lack in evidence-based trials regarding their efficiency. Recently, Occupational Therapists include Telerehabilitation in their treatments, using advanced technologies, which can be adapted to orthopedic injuries. The reported advantages of Telerehabilitation are the option to do self-practice without the need of arriving at a medical center and greater motivation to practice. This experimental research will examine the efficacy of Telerehabilitation treatment using a computerized system (MediTouch) in improving the upper limb function post elbow fractures.

This research will include 24 participants aged 18-80, from the hand surgery unit in Sheba medical center, who are post surgery to fixate elbow fractures or arthrolysis of the elbow, which is steady to mobilize. Patients diagnosed with rheumatology, neurological or orthopedic conditions and injuries in ligaments or nerves will be excluded. The subjects will be matched into two groups according to age and fracture type to study and control groups. Both groups will be treated for a month in ambulatory clinic in the hospital and will do self-practice at home. The subjects in the study group will receive two treatments in Telerehabilitation and one treatment in the clinic weekly, and the subjects in the control group will receive three treatments in the clinic every week. All subjects will be assessed before and after the intervention for hand function in everyday activities using The Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, for disability and symptoms due to the injury using The Disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand questionnaire, for pain and disability after injury in the elbow using The Patient-Rated Elbow Evaluation, for range of motion using Goniometer and for strength using Dynamometer. The Participants in the study group will also fill out questionnaires to evaluate level of satisfaction from the treatment and of the system usability. The hypotheses will be tested by the differences between groups in range of motion, function and satisfaction measures in order to assess the efficacy of the treatment in Telerehabilitation.