Evaluating Digital Rehab for Chronic MSK Pain Across BMI Categories
January 7, 2025
Study Overview
This study assessed the impact of a fully remote digital rehabilitation program on patients with chronic MSK pain, comparing outcomes across non-obesity, obesity, and severe obesity groups.
Key Findings:
- High completion rates (77.5–85.6%) across all BMI groups, though slightly lower in severe obesity.
- Comparable pain reduction exceeding the minimal clinically important change (30%) threshold, despite obesity groups starting with higher pain and impairment levels.
- Similar engagement levels in exercise sessions (1.9–2.2 per week) and education content, with higher physical therapist interaction in obesity groups.
- Significant improvements in daily activities across all groups.
- Very high satisfaction scores (>9/10) regardless of BMI.
These results suggest that digital MSK rehabilitation is an effective and scalable solution for patients with obesity, overcoming traditional barriers to care and yielding outcomes similar to non-obese individuals.
