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Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024To determine whether allied health interventions delivered using telehealth provide similar or better outcomes for patients compared with traditional face-to-face... (Review)
Review
To determine whether allied health interventions delivered using telehealth provide similar or better outcomes for patients compared with traditional face-to-face delivery modes. A rapid systematic review using the Cochrane methodology to extract eligible randomized trials. Trials were eligible for inclusion if they compared a comparable dose of face-to-face to telehealth interventions delivered by a neuropsychologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, podiatrist, psychologist, and/or speech pathologist; reported patient-level outcomes; and included adult participants. MEDLINE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases were first searched from inception for systematic reviews and eligible trials were extracted from these systematic reviews. These databases were then searched for randomized clinical trials published after the date of the most recent systematic review search in each discipline (2017). The reference lists of included trials were also hand-searched to identify potentially missed trials. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool Version 1. Fifty-two trials (62 reports, = 4470) met the inclusion criteria. Populations included adults with musculoskeletal conditions, stroke, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and/or pain. Synchronous and asynchronous telehealth approaches were used with varied modalities that included telephone, videoconferencing, apps, web portals, and remote monitoring, Overall, telehealth delivered similar improvements to face-to-face interventions for knee range, Health-Related Quality of Life, pain, language function, depression, anxiety, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. This meta-analysis was limited for some outcomes and disciplines such as occupational therapy and speech pathology. Telehealth was safe and similar levels of satisfaction and adherence were found across modes of delivery and disciplines compared to face-to-face interventions. Many allied health interventions are equally as effective as face-to-face when delivered via telehealth. Incorporating telehealth into models of care may afford greater access to allied health professionals, however further comparative research is still required. In particular, significant gaps exist in our understanding of the efficacy of telehealth from podiatrists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, and neuropsychologists. PROSPERO (CRD42020203128).
PubMed: 38921331
DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12121217 -
The Cochrane Database of Systematic... Feb 2024Morton's neuroma (MN) is a painful neuropathy resulting from a benign enlargement of the common plantar digital nerve that occurs commonly in the third webspace and,... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Morton's neuroma (MN) is a painful neuropathy resulting from a benign enlargement of the common plantar digital nerve that occurs commonly in the third webspace and, less often, in the second webspace of the foot. Symptoms include burning or shooting pain in the webspace that extends to the toes, or the sensation of walking on a pebble. These impact on weight-bearing activities and quality of life.
OBJECTIVES
To assess the benefits and harms of interventions for MN.
SEARCH METHODS
On 11 July 2022, we searched CENTRAL, CINAHL Plus EBSCOhost, ClinicalTrials.gov, Cochrane Neuromuscular Specialised Register, Embase Ovid, MEDLINE Ovid, and WHO ICTRP. We checked the bibliographies of identified randomised trials and systematic reviews and contacted trial authors as needed.
SELECTION CRITERIA
We included all randomised, parallel-group trials (RCTs) of any intervention compared with placebo, control, or another intervention for MN. We included trials where allocation occurred at the level of the individual or the foot (clustered data). We included trials that confirmed MN through symptoms, a clinical test, and an ultrasound scan (USS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We used standard Cochrane methodological procedures. We assessed bias using Cochrane's risk of bias 2 tool (RoB 2) and assessed the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE framework.
MAIN RESULTS
We included six RCTs involving 373 participants with MN. We judged risk of bias as having 'some concerns' across most outcomes. No studies had a low risk of bias across all domains. Post-intervention time points reported were: three months to less than 12 months from baseline (nonsurgical outcomes), and 12 months or longer from baseline (surgical outcomes). The primary outcome was pain, and secondary outcomes were function, satisfaction or health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and adverse events (AE). Nonsurgical treatments Corticosteroid and local anaesthetic injection (CS+LA) versus local anaesthetic injection (LA) Two RCTs compared CS+LA versus LA. At three to six months: • CS+LA may result in little to no difference in pain (mean difference (MD) -6.31 mm, 95% confidence interval (CI) -14.23 to 1.61; P = 0.12, I = 0%; 2 studies, 157 participants; low-certainty evidence). (Assessed via a pain visual analogue scale (VAS; 0 to 100 mm); a lower score indicated less pain.) • CS+LA may result in little to no difference in function when compared with LA (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.30, 95% CI -0.61 to 0.02; P = 0.06, I = 0%; 2 studies, 157 participants; low-certainty evidence). (Function was measured using: the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Lesser Toe Metatarsophalangeal-lnterphalangeal Scale (AOFAS; 0 to 100 points) - we transformed the scale so that a lower score indicated improved function - and the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Schedule (MFPDS; 0 to 100 points), where a lower score indicated improved function.) • CS+LA probably results in little to no difference in HRQoL when compared to LA (MD 0.07, 95% CI -0.03 to 0.17; P = 0.19; 1 study, 122 participants; moderate-certainty evidence), and CS+LA may not increase satisfaction (risk ratio (RR) 1.08, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.85; P = 0.78; 1 study, 35 participants; low-certainty evidence). (Assessed using the EuroQol five dimension instrument (EQ-5D; 0-1 point); a higher score indicated improved HRQoL.) • The evidence is very uncertain about the effects of CS+LA on AE when compared with LA (RR 9.84, 95% CI 1.28 to 75.56; P = 0.03, I = 0%; 2 studies, 157 participants; very low-certainty evidence). Adverse events for CS+LA included mild skin atrophy (3.9%), hypopigmentation of the skin (3.9%) and plantar fat pad atrophy (2.6%); no adverse events were observed with LA. Ultrasound-guided (UG) CS+LA versus non-ultrasound-guided (NUG) CS+LA Two RCTs compared UG CS+LA versus NUG CS+LA. At six months: • UG CS+LA probably reduces pain when compared with NUG CS+LA (MD -15.01 mm, 95% CI -27.88 to -2.14; P = 0.02, I = 0%; 2 studies, 116 feet; moderate-certainty evidence). (Assessed with a pain VAS.) • UG CS+LA probably increases function when compared with NUG CS+LA (SMD -0.47, 95% CI -0.84 to -0.10; P = 0.01, I = 0%; 2 studies, 116 feet; moderate-certainty evidence). We do not know of any established minimum clinical important difference (MCID) for the scales that assessed function, specifically, the MFPDS and the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ; 0 to 100 points; a lower score indicated improved function.) • UG CS+LA may increase satisfaction compared with NUG CS+LA (risk ratio (RR) 1.71, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.44; P = 0.003, I = 15%; 2 studies, 114 feet; low-certainty evidence). • HRQoL was not measured. • UG CS+LA may result in little to no difference in AE when compared with NUG CS+LA (RR 0.42, 95% CI 0.12 to 1.39; P = 0.15, I = 0%; 2 studies, 116 feet; low-certainty evidence). AE included depigmentation or fat atrophy for UG CS+LA (4.9%) and NUG CS+LA (12.7%). Surgical treatments Plantar incision neurectomy (PN) versus dorsal incision neurectomy (DN) One study compared PN versus DN. At 34 months (mean; range 28 to 42 months), PN may result in little to no difference for satisfaction (RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.28; P = 0.58; 1 study, 73 participants; low-certainty evidence), or for AE (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.32 to 2.85; P = 0.93; 1 study, 75 participants; low-certainty evidence) compared with DN. AE for PN included hypertrophic scaring (11.4%), foreign body reaction (2.9%); AE for DN included missed nerve (2.5%), artery resected (2.5%), wound infection (2.5%), postoperative dehiscence (2.5%), deep vein thrombosis (2.5%) and reoperation with plantar incision due to intolerable pain (5%). The data reported for pain and function were not suitable for analysis. HRQoL was not measured.
AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Although there are many interventions for MN, few have been assessed in RCTs. There is low-certainty evidence that CS+LA may result in little to no difference in pain or function, and moderate-certainty evidence that UG CS+LA probably reduces pain and increases function for people with MN. Future trials should improve methodology to increase certainty of the evidence, and use optimal sample sizes to decrease imprecision.
Topics: Humans; Morton Neuroma; Anesthetics, Local; Quality of Life; Pain; Atrophy
PubMed: 38334217
DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD014687.pub2 -
The Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery :... 2024Percutaneous Achilles tendon lengthening is an effective surgical procedure to treat and prevent forefoot and midfoot ulcerations in patients with diabetes. Patients... (Review)
Review
Percutaneous Achilles tendon lengthening is an effective surgical procedure to treat and prevent forefoot and midfoot ulcerations in patients with diabetes. Patients with diabetes are prone to plantar ulcerations due to a combination of factors, such as peripheral neuropathy, decreased tendon elasticity, peripheral vascular disease, and hyperglycemia. Complications such as re-ulceration and transfer lesion to the heel, associated with a calcaneal gait secondary to over-lengthening, are possible with percutaneous Achilles tendon lengthening. Although percutaneous Achilles tendon lengthening is well accepted, the overall incidence of complication has not been well described. A systematic review of the reported data was performed to determine the incidence of complication for percutaneous tendo-Achilles lengthening when used for the treatment and prevention of diabetic plantar ulcerations. Nine studies involving 490 percutaneous lengthening procedures met the inclusion criteria. The overall complication rate was 27.8% (8% with transfer heel ulcerations). Given the high rate of complications associated with a percutaneous Achilles tendon lengthening, careful patient selection and consideration of these risks should be considered prior to proceeding with this procedure. Additional prospective comparative analyses with standardization of surgical technique, degrees of lengthening achieved, and post-operative weightbearing and immobilization modalities are needed to decrease incidence of complication and achieve higher healing rates.
Topics: Humans; Diabetic Foot; Achilles Tendon; Tenotomy; Postoperative Complications
PubMed: 38307408
DOI: 10.1053/j.jfas.2024.01.013