New approach for the rehabilitation of patients following total knee arthroplasty

Avi Elbaz; Eytan M Debbi; Ganit Segal; Amit Mor; Yaron Bar-Ziv; Steven Velkes; Vadim Benkovich; Nadav Shasha; Ronit Shoham-Blonder; Ronen Debi

doi:10.1016/j.jor.2014.04.009

New approach for the rehabilitation of patients following total knee arthroplasty

J Orthop. 2014 May 13;11(2):72-7. doi: 10.1016/j.jor.2014.04.009. eCollection 2014 Jun.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ AposTherapy Research Group, Herzliya 46733, Israel.
² Biorobotics and Biomechanics Lab, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
³ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Zerifin 70300, Israel.
⁴ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rabin Medical Center, Petah Tikva 49100, Israel.
⁵ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Soroka Medical Center, Beer Sheva 84101, Israel.
⁶ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv 64239, Israel.
⁷ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Barzilay Medical Center, Ashkelon 78306, Israel.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effect of a biomechanical therapy on gait, function and clinical condition in patients following total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods: Seventeen TKA patients participated in the study. Patients received a biomechanical therapy AposTherapy). Patients underwent a gait test, clinical examination and an assessment of pain, function and quality of life (QOL). Patients were examined again at one, three and six month follow-ups.

Results: A significant improvement over time was found in most gait measurements. Significant improvements were also found in pain, function and QOL.

Conclusions: The examined biomechanical therapy may help in the rehabilitation process following TKA.

Keywords: Arthroplasty; Gait; Knee; Rehabilitation.