Efficacy of telerehabilitation after spinal neurosurgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background The literature reports the postoperative effects of telerehabilitation following spinal surgery; however, no up-to-date systematic review and meta-analysis is available. Aim The objective of this study was to present a systematic review and meta-analysis of telerehabilitation interventions after spinal neurosurgery. Methods A literature search was conducted in electronic databases “ScienceDirect, PubMed and Web of Science (WoS)”. A total of 3806 studies were accessed using the identified keywords. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 7 articles were included. The “PEDro scale” was used to assess the methodological quality of the included studies. The study protocol has been registered in PROSPERO (Registration number: CRD42024586517). Results Seven studies were included in the systematic review. The included studies were of “fair” quality based on the mean PEDro score. Pain and functional capacity were among the most assessed physical outcomes. Telerehabilitation showed low to moderate effectiveness on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS)-based pain severity (ES: -0.31, 95% CI: -6.15; 5.53). Besides, there is moderate to strong evidence for Oswestry Disability Index (ODI)-based disability scores on the effectiveness of telerehabilitation after lumbar spine surgery (LSS) (ES: -0.73, 95% CI: -12.01; 10.55). Conclusions Telerehabilitation methods are effective, acceptable, and feasible in individuals after spinal neurosurgery. Telerehabilitation has been found to improve pain and disability in individuals after spinal neurosurgery.