Effectiveness of the Smartphone Application mymobility® for Returning to Sports Activity After Medial Opening Wedge...

Medial opening wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO) is an effective surgical procedure for joint preservation in active patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (KOA). However, older patients and those with prolonged preoperative sports cessation often struggle to resume high-impact activities, such as running, after MOWHTO. Remote rehabilitation tools may help overcome these challenges. We report the case of an older woman with prolonged cessation of sports activity who resumed sports activity after MOWHTO with the help of the mymobility® smartphone application. A 71-year-old woman with Kellgren-Lawrence grade 3 medial KOA and -5° varus alignment underwent MOWHTO. She discontinued daily 7 km runs for two years owing to knee pain. The preoperative Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) scores were 53 for Symptoms, 50 for Pain, 61 for Activities of Daily Living, 25 for Sport and Recreation Function, and 6.25 for Quality of Life, and the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) was 31. Bone union was achieved on postoperative day (POD) 90. However, she maintained a low step count (approximately 2000 steps/day) and was unable to run owing to anxiety. We used mymobility® to provide chat-based guidance, step-count goals, and video assessments of jogging and running form. Activity progressively increased, and she achieved jogging ability on POD 150 and pain-free running ability on POD 180. Her Visual Analog Scale score improved to 0 mm, KOOS and OKS scores improved substantially, and step count increased to approximately 8000 steps/day. This case indicates that mymobility® can facilitate safe and timely return to sports after MOWHTO by improving motivation, providing remote supervision, and enabling individualized activity progression. mymobility® may be particularly effective for older patients or those who cannot access specialized postoperative rehabilitation services.