{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,21]],"date-time":"2026-05-21T18:03:31Z","timestamp":1779386611151,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"23","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,27]],"date-time":"2024-11-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1732665600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Somatic tinnitus (ST) is a type of tinnitus that is influenced by changes in somatosensory input from the cervical spine or temporomandibular area. Although traditional physiotherapy has been shown to reduce ST symptoms, in-clinic treatment is not always available, and adherence to home exercise programs is often low. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of an app-based physiotherapy program to enhance the compliance and availability of treatment for ST patients. Methods: This pilot randomised controlled trial included 38 adult patients with chronic somatic tinnitus. Participants were randomly assigned to a treatment group receiving a 9-week app-based cervical spine exercise program or a control group. The primary outcome was tinnitus distress measured using the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). As a secondary outcome we used the Mini-Tinnitus Questionnaire (Mini-TQ). Results: Participants in the treatment group showed significant reductions in tinnitus distress, with a large effect size for both the THI and Mini-TQ groups (Cohen\u2019s d = 1.71 and 1.02, respectively). The control group showed no significant changes. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that an app-based physiotherapy intervention is a feasible and effective treatment for ST. Further research with larger sample sizes and comparisons to traditional in-clinic treatments is needed to confirm these findings. Additional studies on personalised treatment might further improve the treatment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm13237203","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,27]],"date-time":"2024-11-27T10:05:56Z","timestamp":1732701956000},"page":"7203","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Exploring App-Based Physiotherapy for Somatic Tinnitus: Results from a Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3999-8096","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sarah","family":"Michiels","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"REVAL Rehabilitation Research Center, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium"},{"name":"Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Antwerp University Hospital, 2000 Edegem, Belgium"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stella","family":"W\u00f6lflick","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik und Poliklinik f\u00fcr Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie der Universit\u00e4t Regensburg am Bezirksklinikum Regensburg, Universit\u00e4t Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3397-2319","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jorge","family":"Sim\u00f5es","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Psychology and Technology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7942-1788","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Winfried","family":"Schlee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Klinik und Poliklinik f\u00fcr Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie der Universit\u00e4t Regensburg am Bezirksklinikum Regensburg, Universit\u00e4t Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany"},{"name":"Institute for Information and Process Management, Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, 9001 St. Gallen, Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,11,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1600","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(13)60142-7","article-title":"Tinnitus","volume":"382","author":"Baguley","year":"2013","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1204","DOI":"10.1044\/1092-4388(2005\/084)","article-title":"General review of tinnitus: Prevalence, mechanisms, effects, and management","volume":"48","author":"Henry","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. 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