II.

BackgroundA significant proportion of patients experience functional limitations following total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA). The purpose of this study was to investigate prospectively the patient‐reported and objectively assessed functional recovery following THA and TKA.MethodsPatients were recruited at a regional Danish hospital, using a prospective, observational hypothesis‐generating cohort design. Primary outcome measures were performance‐based function (30‐s chair‐stand test) and self‐reported physical function measured by the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) for those who had undergone THA, and the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) for those who had undergone TKA. In addition, patient expectations, the “forgotten joint” scale and pain catastrophizing were measured. Outcome measures were collected at baseline (preoperatively) and at follow‐up (4 months postoperatively).ResultsA total of 95 patients (59 who had undergone THA and 36 who had undergone TKA) were recruited. Performance‐based function improved only slightly, with a mean difference of 2.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.9, 4.0) for THAs and 1.6 (95% CI 0.4, 2.8) for TKAs. Self‐reported physical function improved significantly, with a mean difference of 37.9 (95% CI 31.5, 44.3) for THAs and 28.6 (95% CI 22.7, 34.4) for TKAs. However, dividing the cohort into “improved” and “non‐improved” groups based on changes in performance‐based function, no clinically relevant predictors for poor performance‐based outcome could be found.ConclusionsSelf‐reported outcome measures improved significantly following THA and TKA, whereas performance‐based function improved only slightly by the 4‐month follow‐up. The subgroup that did not improve in performance‐based function still reported significant improvements in self‐reported outcome measures, demonstrating the difficulty in predicting optimal rehabilitation strategies after THA and TKA.

Background: Following total hip- and knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA), post-discharge physical rehabilitation is common practice, but varies significantly regarding content, duration, intensity and mode of delivery. Recent systematic reviews have found home-based rehabilitation to be as good as outpatient rehabilitation in terms of pain and physical function. We therefore wonder if physical rehabilitation “works” at all when compared to no physical rehabilitation after THA and TKA – “no rehabilitation” defined as no prescribed therapeutic rehabilitation exercises. The purpose of this trial is to compare the effectiveness of home-based telerehabilitation, home-based rehabilitation and no physical rehabilitation following THA and TKA.  Methods: This pragmatic, randomized controlled trial will include 168 patients following discharge after THA or TKA, in Bornholm Denmark. Patients will be randomized into one of the three 6-week rehabilitation strategies: home-based telerehabilitation, home-based rehabilitation or no physical rehabilitation. The trial is designed as a superiority trial to test the hypothesis that rehabilitation (home-based telerehabilitation and home-based rehabilitation) is superior to no physical rehabilitation. The primary outcome will be the hip disability and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS)/ the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS)-subscale: function of daily living at first follow-up (end of the 6-weeks' intervention). Additional follow-ups are scheduled at 3 and 12 months. Outcome assessors and data analysts are blinded to group allocation. Conclusions: Knowledge about the effectiveness of the three investigated rehabilitation strategies will help guide the future organization of post-discharge rehabilitation after THA and TKA. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03750448 (23/11/2018)

Introduction: Physical rehabilitation is widely used following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), while no consensus has been reached regarding the optimal dosage, frequency and modality. Before a standardized protocol can be established, it is important to investigate the true efficacy for physical rehabilitation following TKA. Objective: To examine if physical rehabilitation is superior to no physical rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty in terms of patient-reported outcomes for function and pain. Methods: The search strategy was conducted in five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cinahl, CENTRAL and SPORTDiscus) with eligibility criteria for inclusion being: Randomised controlled trials comparing patients receiving physical rehabilitation with a group receiving no physical rehabilitation following unilateral TKA. Potential sources of bias were assessed according to the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template (CERT) was used to extract and report exercise interventions from the included trials. Results: Only two of 3254 identified trials fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included. The two trials were judged as being of moderate to good methodological quality, but lacking in the reporting of their exercise interventions. Difference in outcome measurements and interventions makes between-study comparison inconclusive. Conclusions: No conclusion regarding the superiority of physical rehabilitation to no-intervention following TKA can be drawn from the results of this systematic review. Further research is required to establish the true effectiveness of physical rehabilitation following TKA. Systematic review registration number: PROSPERO 2018 CRD42018094785.

Background: Following total hip- and knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA), post-discharge physical rehabilitation is common practice, but varies significantly regarding content, duration, intensity and mode of delivery. Recent systematic reviews have found home-based rehabilitation to be as good as outpatient rehabilitation in terms of pain and physical function. We therefore wonder if physical rehabilitation “works” at all when compared to no physical rehabilitation after THA and TKA – “no rehabilitation” defined as no prescribed therapeutic rehabilitation exercises. The purpose of this trial is to compare the effectiveness of home-based telerehabilitation, home-based rehabilitation and no physical rehabilitation following THA and TKA.  Methods: This pragmatic, randomized controlled trial will include 168 patients following discharge after THA or TKA, in Bornholm Denmark. Patients will be randomized into one of the three 6-week rehabilitation strategies: home-based telerehabilitation, home-based rehabilitation or no physical rehabilitation. The trial is designed as a superiority trial to test the hypothesis that rehabilitation (home-based telerehabilitation and home-based rehabilitation) is superior to no physical rehabilitation. The primary outcome will be the hip disability and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS)/ the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS)-subscale: function of daily living at first follow-up (end of the 6-weeks' intervention). Additional follow-ups are scheduled at 3 and 12 months. Outcome assessors and data analysts are blinded to group allocation. Conclusions: Knowledge about the effectiveness of the three investigated rehabilitation strategies will help guide the future organization of post-discharge rehabilitation after THA and TKA. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03750448 (23/11/2018)