Table 1 Summary of intervention delivery and components for both groups
What | Lower-limb focussed intervention | Trunk-focussed intervention |
|---|---|---|
Who provides | Physiotherapists who have all undergone study-specific training | |
How | 1-to-1 face-to-face sessions to assess and progress unsupervised exercise-therapy program | |
Where | Physiotherapy sessions: Private clinics in Hobart and Melbourne Unsupervised exercise-therapy program: Clinic/public gym, or home | |
When & how much | Physiotherapy 1-to-1 sessions: 30 min duration, weekly for 4 weeks then every 2 to 3 weeks for 12 weeks Unsupervised exercise-therapy program: instructions provided via PhysiApp©, 30 to 45 min duration, minimum 3 sessions per week, unsupervised | |
Tailoring | • Standardised lower-limb exercises (i.e. strength, power, balance), functional retraining (e.g. plyometric, agility) and cardiovascular program • Choice of priority exercisesa (from the standard set) was individualised • Exercise progression was individualised • Individualised education (e.g. exercise rationale, goal setting) • Passive therapy treatment algorithm if appropriate (e.g. taping) | • Standardised, non-specific trunk strengthening exercises • Progression of exercises was individualised • Optional stretching • Standardised education (e.g. rationale for trunk exercises) |
Both groups: exercises progressed based on assessment of pre-defined criteria at each session (i.e., pain, swelling, technique) and resistance training principles | ||
How well | Attendance at physiotherapy recorded by physiotherapists and clinic Unsupervised exercise program adherence recorded by participants in PhysiApp© smartphone app or paper diaries, and monitored by physiotherapists via Physitrack© | |