JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The process of postoperative rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) varies among different countries. In Finland, both before and after TKA, patients receive guidance on walking and home exercises from a physiotherapist, which they perform independently after the surgery. A sedentary lifestyle is rather common among patients who have undergone TKA and pain also limits the postoperative walking, training, and activities of daily living.

Objective:

The aim of this randomised controlled trial was to investigate the effects of anti-gravity exercise on postoperative rehabilitation following TKA. Additionally, the aim was to determine whether this type of exercise has an impact on perceived pain, walking, and quality of life. Anti-gravity exercise was conducted on an anti-gravity treadmill called AlterG®. There is very little information available regarding AlterG® training in postoperative rehabilitation following TKA. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain new knowledge on this form of rehabilitation to better utilise it in the future.

Methods:

This study was a randomised controlled trial in which the patients were randomised into two groups—the intervention and control groups. The follow-up time was 12 months. The research data was collected through questionnaires and functional tests. Each patient in the intervention and control groups responded to questionnaires and participated in functional tests before the surgery as well as 4 and 12 months after the surgery. Patients in the intervention group exercised on the AlterG® treadmill 10 times after the surgery. In addition, all the patients in this study performed the exercises that they were instructed to perform when they were still in hospital.

Results:

The data collection began in 2018 and concluded in 2022. The aim was to obtain valuable information regarding the effect of AlterG® training after TKA and to determine whether this could be one form of rehabilitation along with traditional exercises performed at home. The assumption was that AlterG® training will lead to faster rehabilitation and better walking quality, quality of life, and overall functioning.

Conclusions:

The results of this study provide information on how the AlterG® training can be utilised in rehabilitation after TKA. This information may enable the enhancement and development of a rehabilitation program for knee arthroplasty patients. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03904030).