In-person home-based rehabilitation and telerehabilitation can be as effective as clinic-based rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but require heavy logistics and are highly dependent on human supervision. New technologies that allow independent home-based rehabilitation without constant human supervision may help solve this problem. This was a single-center, feasibility study comparing a digital biofeedback system that meets these needs against conventional in-person home-based rehabilitation after TKA over an 8-week program. Primary outcome was the change in the Timed Up and Go score between the end of the program and baseline. Fifty-nine patients completed the study (30 experimental group; 29 conventional rehabilitation). The study demonstrated a superiority of the experimental group for all outcomes. Adverse events were similar in both groups. This is the first study to demonstrate that a digital rehabilitation solution can achieve better outcomes than conventional in-person rehabilitation, while less demanding in terms of human resources.

Background The demand for total hip arthroplasty (THA) is rising. In the face of rapidly increasing health care costs, ensuring widespread, cost-effective rehabilitation is a priority. Technologies allowing independent home-based rehabilitation may be the key to facilitate access, improve effectiveness, and lower costs of care. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a novel artificial intelligence–powered digital biofeedback system following THA and compare the clinical outcomes against supervised conventional rehabilitation. Methods This was a single-center, parallel-group pilot study, with an 8-week intervention program. Patients were assessed at baseline, during the program (at 4 and 8 weeks), and 3 and 6 months after surgery. The primary outcome was the Timed Up and Go (TUG) score and secondary outcomes were the Hip dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scale (HOOS; a patient-reported outcome) and hip range of motion (ROM). Results A total of 66 patients were included: 35 digital physiotherapy (PT) versus 31 conventional. There were no differences at baseline between groups except for lower HOOS quality of life (QoL) subscale scores in the digital PT group. Clinically relevant improvements were noted in both groups at all time points. The digital PT group showed a retention rate of 86% (30/35). Per-protocol analysis revealed a superiority of the digital PT group for all outcome measures. Intention-to-treat analysis revealed the superiority of the digital PT group at all time points for TUG (change between baseline and 4 and 8 weeks: P <.001; change between baseline and 3 and 6 months: P =.001 and P =.005, respectively), with a difference between median changes of −4.79 seconds (95% CI −7.24 to −1.71) at 6 months post-THA. Between baseline and month 6, results were also superior in the digital PT group for the HOOS sports and QoL subscales and all ROM except for standing flexion. Conclusions This study demonstrates this novel solution holds promise in rehabilitation after THA, ensuring better clinical outcomes than conventional rehabilitation while reducing dependence on human resources. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03045549; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03045549

BackgroundPhysical rehabilitation is recommended after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). With the expected increase in TKA over the next few decades, it is important to find new ways of delivering cost-effective interventions. Technological interventions have been developed with this intent, but only preliminary evidence exists regarding their validity, with short follow-up times.ObjectiveThis study aimed to present the follow-up results of a feasibility study comparing two different home-based programs after TKA: conventional face-to-face sessions and a digital intervention performed through the use of an artificial intelligence-powered biofeedback system under remote clinical monitoring.MethodsThe digital intervention uses a motion tracker allowing 3D movement quantification, a mobile app and a Web portal. This study presents the results of the previous single-center, prospective, parallel-group, feasibility study including an 8-week active treatment stage and further assessments at 3 and 6 months post-TKA. Primary outcome was the Timed Up and Go score, and secondary outcomes were the Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Scale (KOOS) score and knee range of motion.ResultsA total of 59 patients completed the study (30 in the digital intervention group and 29 in the conventional rehabilitation group) and follow-up assessments. During the active treatment stage, patients in the digital intervention group demonstrated high engagement and satisfaction levels, with an 82% retention rate. Both groups attained clinically relevant improvements from baseline to 6 months post-TKA. At the end of the 8-week program, clinical outcomes were superior in the digital intervention group. At the 3- and 6-month assessments, the outcomes remained superior for the Timed Up and Go score (P<.001) and all KOOS subscale scores (at 3 months, P<.001 overall; at 6 months, KOOS Symptoms: P=.006, Pain: P=.002, Activities of Daily Living: P=.001, Sports: P=.003, and Quality of Life: P=.001). There was progressive convergence between both groups in terms of the knee range of motion, which remained higher for standing flexion in the digital intervention group than the conventional group at 6 months (P=.01). For the primary outcome, at 6 months, the median difference between groups was 4.87 seconds (95% CI 1.85-7.47), in favor of the digital intervention group.ConclusionsThe present study demonstrates that this novel digital intervention for independent home-based rehabilitation after TKA is feasible, engaging, and capable of maximizing clinical outcomes in comparison to conventional rehabilitation in the short and medium term; in addition, this intervention is far less demanding in terms of human resources.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT03047252; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03047252

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