In select young and healthy population with few co morbidities  supervised physical therapy  is no more beneficial than a  home exercise program  following relatively simple knee surgical procedures ( arthroscopic meniscetomy ) .
Physical therapy is common following a knee surgery .
With rising healthcare costs there is debate as to the appropriateness of outpatient physical therapy following such interventions .
Many of the existing controlled trials have concluded that there is no benefit to subjects that receive supervised physical therapy when compared to subjects that perform their exercises at home .
The purpose of this systematic review was to consider the existing evidence regarding benefit following  knee surgery  and evaluate the quality , internal and external validity of such evidence .
No need for outpatient physiotherapy following total knee arthroplastyA randomized trial of 120 patients
BACKGROUND We have not found any reports on the effect of physiotherapy after knee replacement . PATIENTS AND METHODS In a prospect i ve r and omized controlled trial , we r and omized two groups to receive or not receive outpatient physiotherapy  following total knee arthroplasty . 120 patients were recruited over 2 years , each followed up for 1 year . Inclusion criteria were age between 55 - 90 years , less than 40 degrees of fixed flexion contracture and the ability to walk at least 10 meters unaided preoperatively with monoarticular arthrosis . RESULTS We found no statistically significant benefit of outpatient physiotherapy  at any of the three times measured . After adjusting for baseline differences between the two treatment groups , the mean difference in knee flexion 1 year postoperatively was only 2.9 degrees . This mean difference is of no clinical significance . INTERPRETATION We concluded that in a preselected group of patients following primary total knee arthroplasty , inpatient physiotherapy with good instructions and a well-structured home exercise regime can dispense with the need for outpatient physiotherapy
In select young and healthy population with few co morbidities  supervised physical therapy  is no more beneficial than a  home exercise program  following relatively simple knee surgical procedures ( arthroscopic meniscetomy ) .
Physical therapy is common following a knee surgery .
With rising healthcare costs there is debate as to the appropriateness of outpatient physical therapy following such interventions .
Many of the existing controlled trials have concluded that there is no benefit to subjects that receive supervised physical therapy when compared to subjects that perform their exercises at home .
The purpose of this systematic review was to consider the existing evidence regarding benefit following  knee surgery  and evaluate the quality , internal and external validity of such evidence .