Effect of adherence to telerehabilitation on work-disability days after ankle sprain in primary care

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association between adherence to a telerehabilitation program—measured as accumulated minutes of exercise—and days of work disability in patients with ankle sprains treated in a primary care. Methods: A secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial was conducted. Participants with available data on adherence and outcomes during the four-week follow-up were included in this analysis. Adherence was defined as the total number of minutes of exercise performed during the first four weeks. The primary outcome was the total number of days of work disability. Multivariable linear regression was used, including adherence, age, body mass index, and sprain severity. Results: Accumulated rehabilitation minutes showed a trend toward an association with a reduction in days of work disability (β = −0.0046; 95% CI −0.010 to 0.001; p = 0.089). Grade II sprains were significantly associated with greater work disability (β = 6.47; 95% CI 3.88 to 9.07; p < 0.001). Age and body mass index showed no significant association. The model explained 26.9% of the outcome variability. Conclusions: Adherence to telerehabilitation showed a trend towards an association with a reduction in days of work disability, although without reaching statistical significance. The degree of exhaustion was the main factor associated with the duration of disability. These findings highlight the importance of considering adherence as a key component in the implementation of telerehabilitation strategies in primary care.