Telehealth in PM&R: Past, present, and future in clinical practice and opportunities for translational research.

Telehealth refers to the use of telecommunication devices and other forms of technology to provide services outside of the traditional in-person health care delivery system. Growth in the use of telehealth creates new challenges and opportunities for implementation in clinical practice. The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) assembled an expert group to develop a white paper to examine telehealth innovation in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R). The resultant white paper summarizes how telehealth is best used in the field of PM&R while highlighting current knowledge deficits and technological limitations. The report identifies new and transformative opportunities for PM&R to advance translational research related to telehealth and enhance patient care.

Guidance for resumption of routine electrodiagnostic testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the world accommodates to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, routine in-person medical services are resuming. The resumption of non urgent electrodiagnostic (EDX) testing faces unique challenges due to the long duration of the procedure and direct close contact with patients, including studies with risk of exposure to oropharyngeal secretions. We provide consensus guidance for resumption of EDX testing, addressing scheduling, patient arrival and registration, use of personal protective equipment, COVID-19 screening and testing, the performance of EDX testing in outpatient and inpatient settings, cleaning and maintenance of the EDX equipment and laboratory, balancing trainee safety and training requirements, and patient care issues. These are broad recommendations that need to be adapted to local COVID-19 risks, institutional guidelines and policies, and changing federal, state, and local regulations, and to changes in the pandemic over time.

The role of exercise and types of exercise in the rehabilitation of chronic pain: specific or nonspecific benefits.

Chronic pain is one of the most common complaints seen in general practitioners' offices, and it contributes to social, emotional, physical, and economical losses. The management of this problem poses challenges for health care providers when the current treatment of choice for chronic pain is pharmacological management, which may not be a sufficient and/or holistic approach to the management of chronic pain. Our goal is to increase awareness of the significance of physical activity, as well as examine additional cost-effective, integrated approaches to help manage the complex and debilitating effects of this condition. This article summarizes the types of exercise in the rehabilitation of chronic pain patients and provides practical recommendations for the clinician based on empirical and clinical experience. This safe, cost-free, nonpharmacologic way of managing pain has been found to reduce anxiety and depression, improve physical capacity, increase functioning and independence, and reduce morbidity and mortality.

Physical medicine and complementary approaches.

Medical approaches to the treatment of spine pain are the cornerstone of therapy for neck and back pain. Although these techniques are used widely, seldom have they been subjected to the scrutiny of careful randomized and controlled clinical trials. The costs of complementary treatments, such as spinal manipulation, massage therapy, and acupuncture, now are reimbursed by many medical insurance providers, but these modalities lack much scientific support. Physical medicine and complementary treatment modalities and some of the scientific studies aimed at assessing their effectiveness are reviewed.