REHABILITATION AFTER TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY - A COMPARISON OF 2 REHABILITATION TECHNIQUES

This study was conducted to compare postoperative total knee arthropla sty rehabilitation protocols. The hypothesis of this study was that pa tients undergoing total knee arthroplasty could achieve range of motio n and hospital discharge in the same period using a postoperative reha bilitation protocol that did not use a continuous passive motion machi ne, This randomized prospective study compared 46 total knee arthropla sties in which a continuous passive motion machine was used with 37 to tal knees that were rehabilitated with early passive flexion of the kn ee (named drop and dangle protocol). Postoperative physical therapy re gimens were otherwise the same for both groups, Surgical technique was the same for both groups except for closure which was performed in th e drop and dangle group with the knee at 90 degrees to 95 degrees flex ion. Only patients with osteoarthritis were included in the study, and in both groups of patients received the same prosthetic components, P atients in the drop and dangle group were discharged from the hospital 1 day earlier (p = 0.01) and had a statistically better extension ran ge of 2.8 degrees at 6 months (p = 0.03), Knees in the drop and dangle group had less drainage (p = 0.06). Range of motion and hospital disc harge can be achieved in a similar time interval with the drop and dan gle technique as with using a continuous passive motion device, and th at such a device is not required for postoperative knee rehabilitation .