Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 May 28:15563316251341229.
doi: 10.1177/15563316251341229. Online ahead of print.

The State of Telemedicine, Telerehabilitation, and Virtual Care in Musculoskeletal Health: A Narrative Review

Mitchell A Johnson  1 , Tyler Khilnani  1 , Abigail Hyun  1 , Troy B Amen  1 , Nathan H Varady  1 , Benedict U Nwachukwu  1 , Joshua S Dines  1
Affiliations
Review

The State of Telemedicine, Telerehabilitation, and Virtual Care in Musculoskeletal Health: A Narrative Review

Mitchell A Johnson et al. HSS J. .

Abstract

Telemedicine has become an increasingly important component of musculoskeletal care, with recent advances in virtual physical examinations, enhanced patient education, and expanded access to treatment and telerehabilitation. Emerging applications of artificial intelligence, including virtual triaging and remote patient monitoring, promise to further augment telemedicine's effectiveness and scope. Despite limitations and a continued preference for in-person visits among some patients, telemedicine can be a valuable tool for musculoskeletal health practitioners, offering new ways to deliver high-quality, timely, and cost-effective care.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; musculoskeletal health; orthopedics; telemedicine; telerehabilitation; virtual care.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Benedict U. Nwachukwu, MD, MBA, reports a relationship with Best in Class. Joshua S. Dines, MD, reports relationships with Arthrex, Conmed, and ViewFi. The other authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Example of virtual shoulder examination with on-screen abduction range of motion measurements.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Example of virtual knee examination with on-screen range of motion measurements.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Annapragada AV, Meshram P, Jenkins SG, et al. Age and racial disparities in telemedicine utilization in an academic orthopedic surgery department. Telemed J E Health. 2022;28(7):970–975. - PMC - PubMed
    1. El Ashmawy AAH, Dowson K, El-Bakoury A, Hosny HAH, Yarlagadda R, Keenan J. Effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and cost reduction of virtual joint replacement clinic follow-up of hip and knee arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2021;36(3):816–822.e1. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baxter SN, Johnson AH, Brennan JC, Dolle SS, Turcotte JJ, King PJ. The efficacy of telemedicine versus in-person education for high-risk patients undergoing primary total joint arthroplasty. J Arthroplasty. 2023;38(7):1230–1237.e1. - PubMed
    1. Bettger JP, Green CL, Holmes DN, et al. Effects of virtual exercise rehabilitation in-home therapy compared with traditional care after total knee arthroplasty: VERITAS, a randomized controlled trial. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2020;102(2):101–109. - PubMed
    1. Bovonratwet P, Chen AZ, Song J, et al. Telemedicine in spine patients: utilization and satisfaction remain high even after easing of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2024;49(3):208–213. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources