Effects of tele-physical therapy on handgrip strength, bone mineral density, muscle and bone biomarkers in community dwelling older sarcopenia patients.

Mshari Alghadier, Gopal Nambi, Radhakrishnan Unnikrishnan, Shahul Hameed Pakkir Mohamed, Hariraja Muthusamy
Purpose:

Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of tele-physical therapy on handgrip strength, bone mineral density, muscle and bone biomarkers in community dwelling older sarcopenia patients.

Methods:

This is a single-blinded, randomized, control trial and by using three block randomization method, community-dwelling older sarcopenia patients were randomized into three groups and the study was conducted between Jun 2022 to Aug 2024 at University hospital. The first group received tele physical therapy training (Group A; n = 18) at the age of (69.4±2.0) years, the second group received regular physical therapy training without supervision (Group B; n = 18) at the age of (67.2±2.1), and the third group received no special training (Group C; n = 17) at the age of (68.3±1.8) years for 3 months. Handgrip strength (HGS), Bone mineral density (BMD), muscle biomarkers (Folistatin (FST), Irisin (IR)) and cathepsin D (CD)) and bone biomarkers (β-isomerized C-terminal telopeptides (β-CTx) , N-terminal mid-fragment (N-MID), and Total procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (TP1NP)) scores were measured at baseline, 3 months, 6 months and at 12 months’ follow-up and the statistical significance level was set at P  0.05.

Results:

The baseline demographic and clinical charectors between the three groups did not show any significant difference. The data of all the outcome measures have shown as mean and standard deviation with a 95% confidence interval (CI) with an upper and lower limit. After three months of intervention, and at the end of 12 months of follow-up, the hand grip strength is 3.98 (95% CI -5.21 to -2.74), Bone mineral density -0.09 (95% CI -0.14 to -0.05), Irisin 23.9 (95% CI 17.85 to 29.94), shows significant changes (p=0.001) in group A than group B, but not in Folistatin 5.57 (95% CI 5.49 to 5.64), cathepsin D 0.27 (95% CI -0.05 to 0.59), β-CTx 24.10 (95% CI -79.97 to 128.17), N-MID 3.0 (95% CI -0.55 to 6.55) and TP1NP 1.15 (95% CI -2.12 to 4.42) (p>0.05).


Conclusion(s):

This study reports that tele - physical therapy training improved the handgrip strength, bone mineral density, muscle biomarker (Irisin), but not in other muscle and bone biomarkers when compared to unsupervised physical therapy training in community dwelling older sarcopenia patients. 


Implications:

The study’s findings carry significant implications for researchers, clinicians and patients. For researchers, it offers insights into the effects of tele- physical therapy in Sarcopenia. Clinicians can use this knowledge to implement timely interventions, potentially improving patient outcomes. Patients stand to benefit from tailored preventive measures, mitigating long-term complications of Sarcopenia. 


Funding acknowledgements:
This study is supported via funding from Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University project number (PSAU/2023/R/1444).
Keywords:
Bone mineral density
Sarcopenia
Tele-physical therapy
Primary topic:
Older people
Second topic:
Community based rehabilitation
Third topic:
Musculoskeletal
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
Department ethical committee, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia.
Provide the ethics approval number:
RHPT/022/048
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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