The project's subsidies have expired and there is a temporary lack of funding.

Digital health utilization in the form of telerehabilitation is a popular technology that is very little researched for musculoskeletal disorders particularly hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA). The progression of OA will lead to total hip or knee replacement surgery. As a consequence, the advancing aging population leads to an increased burden on the healthcare system due to rising osteoarthritis. That's why, we will conduct a randomized controlled trial to explore the effectiveness of telerehabilitation in hip and knee osteoarthritis. This study will recruit OA patients into control and experimental groups. The control group will receive a patient education while the experimental group will undergo remote exercise sessions. Both groups will receive one supervised session a week for 5 weeks. The pre- and post-outcome measures will be recorded for functional status of hip and knee, muscle strength, and range of motions of the lower extremity. This innovative study will evaluate the effectiveness of a telemedicine intervention applied to a clinical population in Taiwan. The use of telerehabilitation interventions aims to reduce treatment and transportation costs, as well as save time for patients with OA. This digital health approach also helps to alleviate the workload of physiotherapists and rehabilitation doctors in clinics. The findings from this study could broaden the scope for using remote digital technology to assist clinical patients in diverse settings, especially those with limited or no hospital access.

Purpose: To conduct a randomized controlled trial to explore the efficacy of telerehabilitation intervention for 5 weeks in a clinical population with hip and knee osteoarthritis.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. diagnosed with hip or knee osteoarthritis within last one year
2. having sub-acute or chronic symptoms of pain and functional disability
3. living in an area served by high-speed Internet services (at least 512 kb/s in upload)
4. living within an hour driving distance from the treating hospital
5. physically fit to provide a written consent to participate in this study

Exclusion Criteria:

1. taking sedatives, autoimmune, or other medication that can interfere with their exercise program
2. any health issues that could affect the tests or the rehabilitation program, including surgery over the recent six months
3. having diagnosed with cognitive disorders
4. having recent surgery or major postoperative complications