Mobile Phone-Supported Physiotherapy for Frozen Shoulder: Feasibility Assessment Based on a Usability Study.
Thomas Stütz, Gerlinde Emsenhuber, Daniela Huber and 6 others
PMID 28729234WHAT IT FOUND
Five patients with stage two frozen shoulder found an app usable, logged high exercise compliance, and were judged to perform exercises correctly.
The study did not test whether the app improved pain or movement, and usual physiotherapy continued.
Key findings
01The app received an average System Usability Scale score of 88 on a 0 to 100 scale, which the paper describes as very usable.
02Patients recorded 1260 exercise sets, which the authors reported as excellent training compliance.
03A physiotherapist confirmed correct exercise conduct for the four patients assessed at the second meeting, with only minor differences.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only five patients were studied, and there was no control group. The study lasted 3 weeks, and one patient used the app for only 10 days. The app was Android only; two patients were iPhone users, two Android devices could not install it, and one patient could not start using the app directly. Usability results were based on 6 users, including one partner, rather than only 5 patients. Exercise correctness was assessed in person for only four patients. Pain and mobility changes were secondary, small, and mixed; they cannot be separated from ongoing physiotherapy. 32 mobility assessments were interrupted, and 21 assessments did not touch the slider. 460 exercise sets were logged in under 7 seconds, so the app was sometimes used only to mark exercises done. The authors state that treatment options for frozen shoulder were not assessed conclusively.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude the app improved frozen shoulder symptoms. The study had five patients, no control group, and standard physiotherapy was unchanged, so pain and movement changes cannot be attributed to the app.