Impacto de um programa de exercícios via telemedicina na capacidade cinético-funcional, dor e cinesiofobia em mulheres com dor lombar crônica: um estudo quase experimental

Abstract

Low back pain (LBP) is defined as a painful musculoskeletal disorder associated with deconditioning, which can be categorized as acute (lasting less than four weeks), subacute (symptoms present for less than three months), or chronic (symptoms present for more than three months). Telerehabilitation is a potentially acceptable approach to provide knowledge and support for pain management, offering advantages such as accessibility, customization, and ease of use. This study aimed to assess the impact of an exercise program delivered through telerehabilitation on kinematic-functional capacity, pain, and kinesiophobia in adult women with chronic low back pain. This is a quasi-experimental study with two pre- and post-test groups, which involved data collection three times over a five-week period. The participants were divided into two groups, the intervention group (IG) was followed with a supervised exercise protocol consisting of 14 exercises conducted via video call, monitored by a physiotherapist using the WhatsApp application. The comparison group (CG) followed their usual care routine without any specific guidance. The participants were identified by codes, and screening was previously conducted via video call. The results showed that out of the 25 women who participated in the study, 13 (52%) were in the age range of 18 to 29 years, with a mean age of 35 years. An independent samples test was performed for age, and no statistical difference was found. It should be noted that 18 (72%) of the participants resided in the municipality of Uberaba, while others were from Sacramento/MG, Ribeirão Preto/SP, Rio Verde/GO, Vitória da Conquista/BA, and Palma/TO. Regarding health, none of the participants were smokers, and the majority reported their health status as regular (32%) or good (32%). Sixteen (64%) participants were taking medication, but these were related to their comorbidities and not to pain. As for kinesiophobia, there was a reduction in scores for the intervention group, but it was not statistically significant. The Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) showed significance in the intervention group in both work-related (p=0.034) and physical activity-related (p=0.001) relationships, which did not occur in the 13 comparison group. There was strong evidence of improvement in disability and pain, with a statistical difference of p=0.001. Therefore, it was observed that the participants started the treatment with pain complaints, but after undergoing the telerehabilitation exercise protocol, there was a significant reduction in scores, resulting in an improvement in functional capacity. Hence, it is concluded that intervention through telerehabilitation exercises had a positive impact on functional capacity and pain in women with low back pain.