Function and quality of life could not be meta-analysed due to insufficient data and heterogeneity of measures , but functional measures tended to favour the physiotherapy rehabilitation group .
Most outcomes were similar between outpatient and home-based exercise programs .
Physiotherapy rehabilitation improves hip abductor strength , gait speed and cadence in people who have been discharged from hospital after total hip replacement .
Physiotherapist-directed rehabilitation exercises appear to be similarly effective whether they are performed unsupervised at home or supervised by a physiotherapist in an outpatient setting
QUESTION In people who have been discharged from hospital after a total hip replacement , do rehabilitation exercises directed by a physiotherapist improve strength , gait , function and quality of life ?
Are these exercises as effective in an unsupervised home-based setting as they are in a supervised outpatient setting ?
A targeted home- and center-based exercise program for people after total hip replacement: a randomized clinical trial.
OBJECTIVE To examine the physical function , gait , and quality of life of patients after total hip replacement ( THR ) r and omly assigned to either a targeted home- or center-based exercise program . DESIGN R and omized controlled trial . SETTING Rehabilitation research center in Australia . PARTICIPANTS Twenty-three patients with unilateral THR were r and omly assigned to a supervised center-based exercise group ( n=11 ) or an unsupervised home-based exercise group ( n=12 ) . INTERVENTION The center-based group completed an 8-week targeted exercise program while under the direct supervision of a physiotherapist . After initial instruction , the home-based group completed the 8-week targeted exercise program at home without further supervision . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Quality of life , physical function , and spatiotemporal measures of gait . RESULTS No significant interaction ( group by time ) or main effects of grouping were found . Within each group , quality of life , and stair climbing improved significantly ( P<.05 ) as did Timed Up & Go test and 6-minute walk test performances ( P<.05 ) . Walking speed increased by 16 cm/s ( P<.01 ) , cadence by 8 steps/min ( P<.05 ) , step length by 4.7 cm ( P<.05 ) , and double-support time reduced by a factor of 16 % . Step length symmetry showed significant improvement ( P<.05 ) over time . Step length differential between the affected and unaffected limbs reduced from 4.0 to 2.7 cm . CONCLUSIONS The targeted strengthening program was effective for both the home- and center-based groups . No group differences were found in the majority of the outcome measures . This finding is important because it shows that THR patients can achieve significant improvements through a targeted strengthening program delivered at a center or at home
Function and quality of life could not be meta-analysed due to insufficient data and heterogeneity of measures , but functional measures tended to favour the physiotherapy rehabilitation group .
Most outcomes were similar between outpatient and home-based exercise programs .
Physiotherapy rehabilitation improves hip abductor strength , gait speed and cadence in people who have been discharged from hospital after total hip replacement .
Physiotherapist-directed rehabilitation exercises appear to be similarly effective whether they are performed unsupervised at home or supervised by a physiotherapist in an outpatient setting
QUESTION In people who have been discharged from hospital after a total hip replacement , do rehabilitation exercises directed by a physiotherapist improve strength , gait , function and quality of life ?
Are these exercises as effective in an unsupervised home-based setting as they are in a supervised outpatient setting ?