Examination of The Effects of Telerehabilitation in Painful Healthcare Workers With and Without COVID-19 Infection

COVID-19 is a disease caused by severe acute coronavirus 2 infection and declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. In the period from March 11, when the first case was announced in Turkey, to the present day, the total number of cases has exceeded 2.3 million. COVID-19 is mainly transmitted by air droplets, aerosols and direct contact, and asymptomatic carriers are the main reason for rapid spread. While many professional groups are working at home during the pandemic process; the risk of contracting COVID-19 has increased, especially in healthcare workers working in high-risk departments of hospitals where COVID-19 patients are treated.

Along with symptoms such as fever, dry cough and shortness of breath, common musculoskeletal problems such as muscle pain, joint pain and fatigue, anxiety, depression and deterioration in sleep quality have been observed in COVID-19 patients. It can take weeks to get over the COVID-19 disease; however, some symptoms persist even after the infection has cleared. The continuation of physical, cognitive and psychological problems in COVID-19 patients recovering from the acute phase of the disease is called 'Post-COVID-19 Syndrome'. A good evaluation and treatment is required to prevent these symptoms in individuals with COVID-19.

Telerehabilitation refers to providing rehabilitation services using electronic communication technologies. In the current pandemic process, the use of telerehabilitation has increased all over the world to help patients without compromising the social distance rule. There is no need for protective equipment as there is no physical contact during telerehabilitation sessions. As a result, patient satisfaction and treatment efficiency are increased by enabling more effective and natural human interaction.

In the literature, there are studies examining the effects of telerehabilitation on individuals who have had COVID-19, but studies examining the effects on healthcare workers who have experienced COVID-19 are insufficient. In this study, which is planned to be done, it is aimed to examine the effects of myofascial relaxation technique on pain and other symptoms through telerehabilitation. The aim of the study is to examine the effects of myofascial relaxation technique applied with the telerehabilitation method on pain level, anxiety, depression, sleep, fatigue and kinesiophobia in healthcare workers with and without COVID-19 infection with pain.