ArticleJMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies2022
An Investigation Into the Use of mHealth in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy: Scoping Review.
Article in JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The Effect and Safety of App-Based Interventions for Populations With Osteoarthritis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Internet-Based Telehealth Programs in Patients With Hip or Knee Osteoarthritis: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Evaluation of Patient-Facing Mobile Apps to Support Physiotherapy Care: Systematic Review.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of mHealth Interventions for Improving the Pain and Disability of Individuals With Chronic Low Back Pain: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2023Pooled it
- Exercise therapy for tendinopathy: a mixed-methods evidence synthesis exploring feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2023Pooled it
- mHealth Impact on Gait and Dynamic Balance Outcomes in Neurorehabilitation: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of medical systems · 2023Pooled it
- Physiotherapists' perception of barriers and facilitators to the implementation of digital health interventions: a scoping review.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Acceptance and use of digital health technologies among physiotherapists in Germany: a web-based cross-sectional survey.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Innovative mHealth for addressing low back pain-related factors amongst lower-limb amputees: A quasi-experimental.African journal of disability · 2026Article
- Combined Use of Digital and Analog Physical Therapy in Patients With Musculoskeletal Disorders and Indicators of Chronicity: German Claims Data Analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2025Article
- Gamified mHealth System for Evaluating Upper Limb Motor Performance in Children: Cross-Sectional Feasibility Study.JMIR serious games · 2025Article
- Digital Tools to Support Postpartum Recovery: A Systematic Review.Women's health reports (New Rochelle, N.Y.) · 2025Review
- RegulEm, an unified protocol based-app for the treatment of emotional disorders: a parallel mixed methods usability and quality study.BMC medical informatics and decision making · 2024Article
- Usage, Attitudes, Facilitators, and Barriers Toward Digital Health Technologies in Musculoskeletal Care: Survey Among Primary Care Physiotherapists in Norway.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2024Article
- A Scoping Review on Mobile Health Technology for Assessment and Intervention of Upper Limb Motor Function in Children with Motor Impairments.Games for health journal · 2024Article
- Quality assessment of mHealth apps: a scoping review.Frontiers in health services · 2024Article
- Article
- Exploring mHealth applications for self-management of chronic low back pain: A survey of features and benefits.Heliyon · 2023Review
- The Influence of Mobile Device Type on Camera-Based Monitoring of Neck Movements for Cervical Rehabilitation.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMusculoskeletal physiotherapy provides conservative management for a range of conditions. Currently, there is a lack of engagement with exercise programs because of the lack of supervision and low self-efficacy. The use of mobile health (mHealth) interventions could be a possible solution to this problem, helping promote self-management at home. However, there is little evidence for musculoskeletal physiotherapy on the most effective forms of mHealth.
objectiveThe aim of this review is to investigate the literature focusing on the use of mHealth in musculoskeletal physiotherapy and summarize the evidence.
methodsA scoping review of 6 peer-reviewed databases was conducted in March 2021. No date limits were applied, and only articles written in the English language were selected. A reviewer screened all the articles, followed by 2 additional researchers screening a random sample before data extraction.
resultsOf the 1393 studies, 28 (2.01%) were identified. Intervention characteristics comprised stretching and strengthening exercises, primarily for degenerative joint pain and spinal conditions (5/28, 18%). The most reported use of mHealth included telephone and videoconferencing calls to provide a home exercise program or being used as an adjunct to physiotherapy musculoskeletal assessment (14/28, 50%). Although patient satisfaction with mHealth was reported to be high, reasons for disengagement included a lack of high-quality information and poor internet speeds. Barriers to clinical uptake included insufficient training with the intervention and a lack of time to become familiar.
conclusionsmHealth has some benefits regarding treatment adherence and can potentially be as effective as normal physiotherapy care while being more cost-effective. The current use of mHealth is most effective when ongoing feedback from a health care professional is available.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.