Antigravity treadmill training after knee surgery: A scoping review.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Early rehabilitation after knee surgery often requires reduced weight-bearing.
• Antigravity treadmill training offers a low-impact option for early-stage recovery.
• Limited evidence exists on its effectiveness for specific knee procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and summarize current evidence on antigravity treadmill training post-knee surgery.
• To identify research gaps regarding its efficacy after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA).

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across major scientific databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, etc.).
• Inclusion of seven studies evaluating antigravity treadmill training after ACLR and TKA.
• Quality assessment of included studies.

Main Results:

• Preliminary evidence suggests antigravity treadmill training may be beneficial for knee surgery recovery.
• Current studies indicate it might be a viable option when full weight-bearing is contraindicated.
• The superiority of antigravity treadmill training over conventional physiotherapy remains unproven.

Conclusions:

• Antigravity treadmill training shows potential as an adjunct therapy in knee surgery rehabilitation.
• Low-quality evidence necessitates further high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
• Cost-effectiveness analysis is required for clinical implementation.