Outcomes of direct access telehealth physical therapy for patients with musculoskeletal pain: a single cohort observational retrospective study.

Abstract

Background: Telehealth direct access physical therapy is becoming more prevalent in the management of outpatient musculoskeletal pain. This innovative model affords more opportunity to reach potential patients who otherwise would not be able to access services due to geographical isolation, travel barriers, and timely access to quality care.

Objective: The purpose of the study was to investigate if pain, function, and ability to perform jobs improved after direct access telehealth physical therapy in patients with musculoskeletal pain.

Methods: A single cohort retrospective design was implemented to offer telehealth physical therapy to patients with musculoskeletal pain from March to November 2021. Eligible patients were at least 18 years old, located in California, and had a history of peripartum pelvic dysfunction, muscle pain, joint pain, or neural symptoms. Paired-samples t-tests and the Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze normally distributed and non-parametric data (α = 0.05), respectively, to compare pretest and post scores.

Results: Based on 89 participants, paired-samples t-tests showed statistically significant differences in function [t(87) = 20.71, p < .0001] and pain [t(82) = -8.15, p < .0001]. Wilcoxon's signed-rank test showed statistically significant differences in ability to perform job (Z = -7.345, p < .0001).

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that in a cohort of individuals with multiregional musculoskeletal pain, there was a decrease in pain and improvements in function and ability to perform job after direct access telehealth physical therapy.