SynthesisBMJ open2025
Effectiveness of digital physiotherapy interventions in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Factors influencing quality of life in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Phenomenological exploration of perceptions, experiences, facilitators, and inhibitors in patients with knee osteoarthritis during physiotherapy rehabilitation in a low- and middle-income country.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide an overview of the effectiveness of digital physiotherapy interventions on pain, physical functions and quality of life for patients with knee osteoarthritis.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis using the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. DATA SOURCES: A systematic search of electronic databases, including MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Scopus and Cochrane Library, was conducted on 19 February 2025. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: We included randomised controlled trials which compared digital physiotherapy interventions to standard physiotherapy care for patients with knee osteoarthritis. Main outcomes included pain, physical functions and quality of life. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: 25 studies met the inclusion criteria, and 18 studies were eligible for meta-analysis. The primary author conducted the initial search, selected articles and extracted data from eligible studies, which were independently checked by a second reviewer. Risk of bias (ROB) was assessed by Cochrane ROB-2 tool. Quality of evidence was evaluated by the GRADE approach.
resultsOverall, digital physiotherapy was associated with a small but statistically significant improvement in physical function (SMD=0.24, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.35); an overall meta-analysis was not performed for pain and quality of life due to considerable heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses revealed both video-conferencing and app- or web-based physiotherapy significantly reduced pain (SMD=-0.53, 95% CI -1.06 to -0.01 and SMD=-0.47, 95% CI -0.70 to -0.25, respectively) and physical function (SMD=0.32, 95% CI 0.10 to 0.54 and SMD=0.30, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.50 respectively). Digital physiotherapy interventions with individualised exercise components also reduced pain (SMD=-0.43, 95% CI -0.66 to -0.21) and improved physical function (SMD=0.30, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.43), when compared with non-exercise interventions.
conclusionThere was moderate-quality evidence to support the use of digital physiotherapy interventions in improving pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Subgroup analyses revealed low-to-moderate quality evidence in using video-conferencing and app-/web-based physiotherapy and interventions with exercise components to treat patients with knee osteoarthritis. Overall, there were limited high-quality trials in drawing a robust conclusion. High ROB and huge heterogeneity were observed across studies. Further research should minimise the ROB and investigate the effect of different digital modalities, intervention components and length of follow-up.
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Registered trials
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