Table 2.
Changes in the content of a standard physical therapy treatment
| Total sample | Hospital / rehab center (n=156) | Private clinic / practice (n=53) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before COVID-19 | During COVID-19 | p-value | Before COVID-19 | During COVID-19 | p-value | Before COVID-19 | During COVID-19 | p-value | |
| While working with mildly impaired pwMS (%) | |||||||||
| Hands-ona | 30 (20-50) | 30 (20-50) | 0.658 | 30 (13-50) | 30 (15-50) | 0.787 | 30 (20-50) | 30 (20-50) | 0.919 |
| Verbal instructionb | 40 (20-60) | 40 (30-60) | 0.191 | 40 (30-60) | 50 (30-60) | 0.327 | 40 (20-60) | 40 (25-70) | 0.326 |
| Demonstrtionc | 30 (20-50) | 30 (20-50) | 0.766 | 30 (20-40) | 30 (20-50) | 0.610 | 30 (20-50) | 30 (10-50) | 0.272 |
| While working with moderately impaired pwMS (%) | |||||||||
| Hands-ona | 50 (50-60) | 40 (40-60) | <0.001* | 50 (30-60) | 40 (30-60) | <0.001* | 50 (30-70) | 40 (25-60) | 0.095 |
| Verbal instructionb | 30 (30-50) | 40 (40-50) | 0.033* | 30 (20-50) | 40 (30-50) | 0.005* | 30 (20-40) | 30 (20-45) | 0.509 |
| Demonstrtionc | 20 (20-40) | 30 (30-40) | 0.312 | 20 (10-40) | 30 (20-40) | 0.269 | 20 (15-54) | 30 (20-50) | 0.877 |
| While working with severely impaired pwMS (%) | |||||||||
| Hands-ona | 70 (70-80) | 60 (60-80) | <0.001* | 70 (50-80) | 60 (40-80) | <0.001* | 70 (50-80) | 60 (40-80) | 0.233 |
| Verbal instructionb | 20 (20-40) | 22 (22-40) | <0.001* | 20 (10-40) | 30 (20-49) | <0.001* | 20 (10-43) | 24 (20-40) | 0.858 |
| Demonstrtionc | 20 (20-30) | 20 (20-40) | 0.043* | 20 (10-30) | 20 (10-40) | 0.056 | 20 (10-32) | 20 (10-40) | 0.720 |
*p<0.05; Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Values are presented as median (interquartile range).
a
Hands-on includes manual therapy techniques and facilitation of movement using the therapist's hands on the patient's body.
b
Verbal instruction is defined as giving oral instructions and cueing to the patient regarding their exercises, gait, and any other type of functional movement patterns.
c
Demonstration is defined as physically showing the patient how to do an exercise or a functional movement pattern by demonstrating the movement first by the therapist.