THE EFFECT OF PREOPERATIVE EXERCISE ON TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT OUTCOMES

This study compared the effects of preoperative physical therapy or ge neral cardiovascular conditioning exercises with the routine procedure of no preoperative physical therapy on patients undergoing primary to tal knee replacement, Thirty patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups, Group 1 was the control group, Group 2 participated in a phys ical therapy program designed to strengthen the upper and lower limbs and improve knee range of motion, Group 3 participated in a cardiovasc ular conditioning program, consisting of arm ergometry, cycle ergometr y, aquatic exercises, and aerobic activity, All patients were evaluate d preoperatively and postoperatively using the Hospital for Special Su rgery Knee Rating, the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale, and the Qua lity of Well Being instrument, Both experimental groups tolerated thei r respective exercise protocols extremely well, All 3 groups showed si gnificant improvement postoperatively as measured by the Hospital for Special Surgery Knee Rating, the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scale an d the Quality of Well Being measurement scales, However, neither type of preoperative exercise added to the degree of improvement after surg ery at any of the postoperative evaluations.