A Study to Compare the Effect of Telerehabilitation and in patents Rehabilitation Using Mckenzie Exercise Protocol Among It Professionals

Abstract

Introduction: Non-specific Low back pain (NLBP) is a common musculoskeletal condition among working adults and can lead to disability in the workforce, especially IT professionals. Although the McKenzie exercise program is well known for its usefulness in treating lower back pain, nothing is known about how well telerehabilitation works in comparison to regular inpatient rehabilitation.

Objective: this study aimed to evaluate the comparison of telerehabilitation and inpatient rehabilitation among IT professionals with non-specific low back pain by using Mckenzie exercise protocol, focusing on disability limitation and sleep disturbance. To explore correlations between sleep quality improvements with NLBP.

Materials and methods: It was an experimental study conducted with 40 participants aged 25–35 years, equally divided into two groups: Group A (telerehabilitation, n = 20) and Group B (inpatient rehabilitation, n = 20). For four weeks, each group participated in 40–45minutes McKenzie exercise sessions every day. The Groningen Sleep Quality Scale (GSQS) was used to quantify sleep disruption, while the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale (QBPDS) was used to measure pain and functional impairment. Paired independent t tests were used to analyse scores before and after the intervention.

Results: Both treatments significantly improved sleep quality and disability among groups (p < 0.001). In comparison to within the group inpatient therapy (51.6% improvement; mean reduction 33.60 points), telerehabilitation reduced disability scores more (61.6% improvement; mean reduction 39.05 points), with between-group differences approaching statistical significance (p = 0.026). There were no apparent variations (p > 0.05) in the improvement of sleep quality between the two groups.

Conclusion: Telerehabilitation that uses the McKenzie method works favourably, is safe, and saves time, and it helps reduce disability more than inpatient rehab, while also improving sleep quality just as greatly. These results show that telerehabilitation can work well as another option instead of standard or inpatient physical therapy, especially for busy working adults who have trouble with time, location, or being able to go to the clinic consistently. Including organized telerehabilitation programs in regular healthcare practice can improve access and help people stick with treatment plans when managing non-specific lower back pain.