Primary care rehabilitation after Knee Replacement - a cross sectional study

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Physical Therapy
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Lack of evidence-based guidelines for knee replacement (KR) rehabilitation in primary care.
• Knowledge gap regarding current rehabilitation practices in Swedish primary care.
• Need to understand patient challenges during post-KR recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• Describe primary care rehabilitation strategies following knee replacement.
• Explore physiotherapists' perceptions of patient challenges in KR rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional, web-based survey of 202 Swedish primary care physiotherapists.
• Data collection on rehabilitation practices, modalities, and perceived patient challenges.
• Descriptive statistics and content analysis of survey responses.

Main Results:

• Rehabilitation primarily involves home exercises and physiotherapy visits.
• Common modalities include range of motion, strength training, and stationary cycling.
• Identified patient challenges: unpreparedness, optimal load determination, and restoring knee function/trust.

Conclusions:

• Swedish primary care KR rehabilitation generally follows international recommendations.
• Physiotherapists highlight patient unpreparedness, pain management, and functional recovery as key challenges.
• Addressing these challenges is crucial for effective post-knee replacement recovery.