Adherence to a Web-based Exercise Programme: A Feasibility Study Among Patients with Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis.
Kenth-Louis Joseph, Hanne Dagfinrud, Kåre Birger Hagen and 7 others
PMID 37578100WHAT IT FOUND
Half of the 29 patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis adhered to a 12-week web-based exercise programme during the pandemic.
Sickness, not joint pain, was the most common barrier. Those who did not adhere were less active and fit at baseline.
Key findings
01Fifteen of the 29 patients adhered to the programme, defined as completing at least two sessions per week for eight weeks.
02Sickness was the most frequently reported barrier in free-text answers, while less than 10% reported osteoarthritis joint pain as a barrier.
03Patients who did not adhere were significantly less physically active and had lower cardiorespiratory fitness at baseline compared to those who adhered.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study was small, with only 29 patients analysed, so the results cannot be generalized to all patients with osteoarthritis. There was no control group, so it is impossible to say if the web-based programme caused the adherence rates or if other factors were involved. Adherence was self-reported via diaries, which can be inaccurate. Patients who did not submit diaries were automatically counted as non-adherent, even if they had exercised. The study took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, which introduced unique barriers like sickness and lockdowns that may not reflect typical conditions. Submaximal fitness tests can overestimate fitness in less fit individuals, potentially skewing the baseline comparison between adherent and non-adherent groups.
Declared interests
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that web-based exercise is superior to other methods or that joint pain is irrelevant to adherence. The study lacked a control group, and the finding that less than 10% cited pain as a barrier is based on a small sample of 29 patients who were specifically referred for surgical consultation but not operated on.