Outpatient versus At-Home Physical Therapy Following Distal Biceps Repair

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Rehabilitation medicine
• Sports medicine

Background:

• Distal biceps tendon repair is a common orthopedic procedure.
• Optimal post-operative care remains debated.
• Evaluating alternative rehabilitation strategies is crucial for patient recovery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of at-home physical therapy versus traditional outpatient physical therapy following distal biceps tendon repair.
• To assess functional outcomes and complication rates between the two post-operative care groups.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 146 distal biceps repair patients (2012-2017).
• Patients categorized into at-home or outpatient physical therapy groups.
• Functional outcomes (Quick Dash, MEPI, Oxford Elbow Scores) assessed at minimum 3-year follow-up.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in Quick Dash, Mayo Elbow Performance Index, or Oxford Elbow Scores between at-home and outpatient groups.
• One re-rupture in the at-home group; one nerve palsy in the outpatient group.
• Mean follow-up was 6.3 years for outpatient and 5.9 years for at-home therapy.

Conclusions:

• Regimented at-home physical therapy can yield comparable clinical outcomes to formal outpatient physical therapy for distal biceps repair.
• At-home therapy presents a viable alternative for post-operative rehabilitation.