Musculoskeletal Physical Therapy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Is Telerehabilitation the Answer?

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has induced worldwide governments to adopt severe rules limiting individual freedom and imposing social distancing (eg, closing school, mandatory quarantine, restricting entertainments)1 in order to prevent the collapse of national health care systems. In addition to the goal of reducing the COVID-19 pandemic, this paradigm shift brings a different allocation of resources within diagnosis-related groups toward high-intensity levels of care (eg, intensive care units) needed for patients suffering of severe COVID-19. Although these measures are necessary in this pandemic, they constitute a barrier for health care professionals who are usually in close contact with patients needing low-intensity care, such as musculoskeletal (MSK) physical therapists.