Household Items-Based Personalized Video Rehabilitation amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: Handouts We All Wish We Had

• Main Authors: Irfan Khan ATC, Kevin D. Martin DO, Carmen E. Quatman MD, PhD, Adam T. Groth MD, Rudy Rodriguez MS, ATC
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2020-10-01
• Series: Foot & Ankle Orthopaedics
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2473011420S00283

Category: Ankle; Sports Introduction/Purpose: Rehabilitation is vital in the recovery of countless foot and ankle injuries and operations.1With our attention directed to providing care on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, rehabilitation has fallen by the wayside with poor consequences. Access to outpatient rehabilitation services and their specialized exercise equipment has significantly decreased,2 leaving patients feeling abandoned and surgeons looking for help on how to guide patients’ postoperative rehabilitation. This poster serves to introduce household items-based personalized video rehabilitation (PVR). Methods: Rehabilitation exercise videos were produced by a board-certified athletic trainer and board-certified orthopaedic foot and ankle surgeon. The videos showed how to perform rehabilitation exercises with common household items (Figure 3).The videos were produced in a structured order, explaining the purpose of the exercise, showing what household items are needed, and demonstrating the proper technique of the exercise. Following recording of the videos, they were assembled into injury/scenario-specific infographics (Figure 1). Results: 34 rehabilitation exercise videos were recorded, with an average length of two minutes, 11 seconds.11 injury/scenario- specific infographics were assembled, with each page of an infographic containing seven exercises (Figure 1), with specific information and access for each exercise (Figure 2).Patients can access the videos by clicking on the hyperlink, or by scanning the QR code. When giving infographics, healthcare professionals can guide patients on which exercises to perform. Conclusion: Household items-based PVR provides patients with an interactive infographic that gives access to concise videos of rehabilitation exercises, especially during a time of reduced rehabilitation accessibility. Healthcare professionals can assign patient- specific exercises on the infographic that are appropriate for a patients’ phase of rehabilitation. Not meant to replace the current rehabilitation model, household item-based PVR is a paradigm shift that will allow physicians to bridge gaps in care.