(1) Telerehabilitation (TR) is a part of telemedicine involved in providing rehabilitation services to people in remote locations. TR in physical therapy in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is still in its infancy and its implementation may pose different challenges in the physical therapy settings. The purpose of this nation-wide survey is to explore physiotherapists (PTs) knowledge, attitudes, and barriers towards implementation of TR in physical therapy settings; (2) Methods: A 14 item questionnaire was developed and mailed to PTs working in hospitals and rehabilitation centers across 13 provinces in Saudi Arabia; (3) Results: 347 PTs responded. Results are as follows: 58.8% (n = 204) of PTs reported that they had sufficient knowledge about TR. About31.7% (n = 110) of PTs reported that their hospital and rehabilitation center had installed TR, yet only 19.9% (n = 69) utilized the TR facility. Image-based TR was more frequently used (n = 33) as compared to sensor-based TR (n = 29) and virtual reality TR (n = 10).The main barriers were technical issues and cost related to implement TR in physical therapy settings; and (4) Conclusions: There is a relatively high number of PTs with self-reported knowledge about TR, however facilities and usage were limited. The main barriers were technical issues, staff skills, and the high cost involved in the introduction of TR in the PT-based health care settings.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal problem globally. While spending a longer time in sedentary behaviors is linked to several health problems; the quantitative association between different amounts of sedentary time and LBP is still unknown. This study aims to systematically review studies that examined the association between sedentary behavior and LBP development and LBP-related outcomes. Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis retrieved journal articles published from inception to March 2020 and were obtained by searching bibliographical databases. We included longitudinal study designs, including adult (aged ≥18) individuals with nonspecific LBP, and reporting estimates of the association between sedentary behavior and LBP development and LBP-related outcomes (i.e., pain intensity and disability). Results: Sixteen longitudinal studies with 100,002 participants were included in this review (eight studies included in quantitative syntheses with 83,111 participants). The results of meta-analyses showed that a sedentary time of 3–8 (OR 0.92, 95% CI [0.85–1.00]) hours per day (h/d) was not associated with LBP development. A sedentary time of ≥3 h/d was associated with poor LBP-related disability (OR 1.24, 95% CI [1.02–1.51]), but not with pain intensity. Conclusion: A meta-analyses of longitudinal studies indicated that sedentary behavior of different durations was not associated with LBP development. However, the results showed that sedentary behavior ≥3 h/d was associated with worse LBP-related disability. These conclusions are tentative as the evidence was derived from mostly fair-quality studies using subjective measures of sedentary behavior. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO (registration number CRD42018107078).

The smartphone emerges as an inevitable gadget in modern society and its increased usage results in neck disorders among its users. However, the factors associated with neck disorders among smartphone users are ambiguous and less explored in the literature. The purpose of this research was to determine the prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, and its association with neck disorders among university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 313 university students who were aged 18 years and older, owned a smartphone, and used it during the preceding 12 months participated in this cross-sectional study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data regarding the prevalence of text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, neck disorders, and the level of physical activity. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between the prevalence of neck disorders and text neck posture, smartphone addiction/overuse, and level of physical activity. The 12 months prevalence of neck disorders due to smartphone use among the participants was found to be 46%. The neck disorders were more prevalent among participants who reported text neck posture (P < 0.001) and categorized as smartphone-addicted/overuse (P < 0.001). Measures to promote the awareness of healthy use of smartphones including postural education and to decrease its screen time are warranted to reduce neck disorders.

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) and their association with smartphone addiction and smartphone usage among university students in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 313 university students aged 18 years and older who owned a smartphone and used it during the preceding 12 months participated in this cross-sectional study. The prevalence of upper limb MSDs, smartphone addiction/overuse, and levels of physical activity were recorded using the standardized Nordic musculoskeletal questionnaire, the smartphone addiction scale (short version), and the international physical activity questionnaire (short form), respectively. Data collection was performed on campus between March and May 2021. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between the prevalence of upper limb MSDs and smartphone addiction/overuse and levels of physical activity. The 12-month prevalence of MSDs of the shoulder, elbow, and wrist/hand regions due to smartphone use among participants was found to be 20.13%, 5.11%, and 13.42%, respectively. Shoulder (odds ratio (OR) = 11.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 4.64–27.94, p < 0.001), elbow (OR = 15.38, 95% CI = 1.92–123.26, p = 0.01), and wrist/hand MSDs (OR = 7.65, 95% CI = 2.75–21.22, p < 0.001) were more prevalent among participants who were categorized as having smartphone addiction/overuse measures. Promoting awareness about the healthy use of smartphones, including postural education and decreasing screen time, is necessary to reduce smartphone-related MSDs.

This study aimed to systematically review research investigating the association between hip muscle strength and dynamic knee valgus (DKV). Four databases (MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus) were searched for journal articles published from inception to October 2020. Seven studies investigating the association between hip muscle strength and DKV using a two-dimensional motion analysis system in healthy adults were included. The relationship between hip abductor muscle strength and DKV was negatively correlated in two studies, positively correlated in two studies, and not correlated in three studies. The DKV was associated with reduced hip extensor muscle strength in two studies and reduced hip external rotator muscle strength in two studies, while no correlation was found in three and five studies for each muscle group, respectively. The relationship between hip muscle strength, including abductors, extensors, and external rotators and DKV is conflicting. Considering the current literature limitations and variable methodological approaches used among studies, the clinical relevance of such findings should be interpreted cautiously. Therefore, future studies are recommended to measure the eccentric strength of hip muscles, resembling muscular movement during landing. Furthermore, high-demand and sufficiently challenging functional tasks revealing lower limb kinematic differences, such as cutting and jumping tasks, are recommended for measuring the DKV.