The effect of telerehabilitation on balance in stroke patients: is it more effective than the traditional rehabilitation model? A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published during the COVID-19 pandemic

ConclusionStudies on changes in medical conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic also demonstrated that, for stroke patients, telerehabilitation achieves similar effects as the conventional rehabilitation model and can act as a continuation of the conventional rehabilitation model. Owing to the different equipment and intervention programs of telerehabilitation, its curative effect on the static balance and reactive balance of stroke patients may be different. Currently, telerehabilitation may be more conducive to the rehabilitation of patients' static balance abilities, while conventional rehabilitation is more effective for the rehabilitation of patients' reactive balance. Therefore, further studies are needed for investigating the difference in efficacy between varied devices and telerehabilitation programs. Further research is needed on static and reactive balance. In addition, such research should have a large body of literature and a large sample size to support more definitive findings based on the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Systematic review registrationCRD42023389456.
Source: Frontiers in Neurology - Category: Neurology Source Type: research