Digital rehab for chronic shoulder pain

Study overview

Chronic shoulder pain is common, disabling, and often difficult to manage remotely because recovery depends on tailored exercise, adherence, and ongoing clinical progression. This study evaluated Sword’s fully remote digital care program for chronic shoulder pain in 296 participants.

The program combined therapeutic exercise, education, cognitive behavioral therapy, motion tracking, real-time feedback, and asynchronous physical therapist monitoring. Researchers evaluated disability, pain, mental health, surgery likelihood, productivity, engagement, and satisfaction over the course of care.

Key findings

Shoulder disability improved

Participants reported a 52% improvement in disability, suggesting that a remotely delivered program can support meaningful functional recovery in a condition that can be complex to manage outside the clinic.

Pain and mental health outcomes improved

Pain improved by 55%, while mental health measures improved by 50% to 64%. This is important because chronic shoulder pain often affects both physical function and emotional well-being.

Surgery likelihood and productivity improved

The study reported a 56% reduction in surgery likelihood and a 67% improvement in work productivity, showing that recovery extended beyond symptoms into care escalation and daily functioning.

Engagement and satisfaction supported feasibility

The program showed strong engagement in a fully remote model, reinforcing that digital care can be used for a technically challenging upper-extremity condition when the program is clinically monitored and tailored.

Why this study matters

This study helps establish Sword’s evidence base for chronic upper-extremity pain. Shoulder conditions can be difficult to treat remotely because movement quality, range, and progression matter. The findings suggest that a multimodal digital care model can support clinically meaningful improvements in pain, disability, mental health, and productivity while maintaining engagement.

The study should be understood as a prospective single-arm cohort study, not a randomized comparison against in-person care. Its value is in showing feasibility and outcomes for a large real-world group with chronic shoulder pain.

Read the full study