Effect of Hydrotherapy After Unilateral UKA
NCT Number: NCT06459960
Status: COMPLETED
Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
Phases: NA
Conditions: Osteoarthritis, Knee
Interventions: GENETIC: Hydrotherapy|GENETIC: Convention
Sponsor: Chinese University of Hong Kong
Sex: ALL
Age: ADULT, OLDER_ADULT
Enrollment: 68
Study Design: Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED|Intervention Model: PARALLEL|Masking: NONE|Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
Start Date: 2020-12-15
Completion Date: 2021-12-15
Locations: Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, Tai Po, N.t., Hong Kong

Summary:
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a progressive disease of the synovial joints that causes joint pain and limitation of function resulting in considerable morbidity and impairment of quality of life. Knee OA is the most common type of OA, and symptomatic knee OA is highly prevalent among people aged over 50 years. With the increasing aging population, worldwide prevalence of knee OA is expected to be rising. The goals of treatment are to reduce pain, maintain or improve joint mobility, minimize functional impairment and improve quality of life. When conservative management, which includes structured land-based exercise programs, aquatic exercise, education and appropriate analgesic medications, fails, surgical approach can be considered. Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) has become an alternative to TKA in cases of end-stage OA that are limited to a single compartment. Patients who underwent UKA have a quicker recovery, lower risk of complications, and improved range of motion. Physiotherapy rehabilitation is an integral part of good knee arthroplasty outcome. Conventional post-operative physiotherapy rehabilitation, which includes range of motion exercises, muscle strengthening exercises, balance and gait training, have been shown to have improvement in range of motion, muscle strength and functional outcome measures of patients. Recently, hydrotherapy is gaining its popularity as being incorporated into one of the components in the rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty. Studies reported that hydrotherapy could decrease pain, and improved physical function, strength and quality of life for patients after total hip or knee arthroplasty. However, there are no studies to investigate the effect of hydrotherapy on patients after UKA. With the increasing popularity of UKA as a surgical alternative in patients with end-stage single-compartmental OA, it is worth investigating the effects of hydrotherapy on the clinical outcomes of patients following UKA.

Primary Outcome Measures: Knee Society Function Score (KFS), KFS is widely adopted as an outcome measure in knee arthroplasty related research. KFS assesses the patient's walking distance, stairs performance and the use of walking aid. The full mark is 100, with higher marks indicating better knee function and vice versa, Baseline (Before surgery), Post-op 6 months, Post-op 1 year
Secondary Outcome Measures: Self-reported walking tolerance (minutes), Self-reported walking tolerance is a self-reported walking tolerance test to test the maximum time (in minutes) to tolerate walking before taking a rest., Post-op first session and Post-op last session of rehabilitation programme; 12 weeks apart for Hydrotherapy group and 8 weeks apart for Convention group.|Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT) (seconds), TUGT measures the time required for the patient to rise from an armchair under standardized seat height, follow by walking for three meters, then return to sitting on the same chair., Post-op first session and Post-op last session of rehabilitation programme; 12 weeks apart for Hydrotherapy group and 8 weeks apart for Convention group.|30-second Chair Stand Test (30CST) (repetitions), 30CST measures the number of cycles or repetitions of continuous standing up and sitting down from a designated chair in 30 seconds. The test begins with the subject seated. The subject is then asked to rise from chair with arms folded across chest after command at the preferred speed., Post-op first session and Post-op last session of rehabilitation programme; 12 weeks apart for Hydrotherapy group and 8 weeks apart for Convention group.|Numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), NPRS has been routinely applied to let patients rate the pain level on a defined scale. NPRS is a single 11-point numeric scale ranging between 0 and 10, with 0 representing "no pain" and 10 representing the pain extreme., Post-op first session, Post-op 4 weeks, and 3) Post-op last session of rehabilitation programme; 12 weeks apart for Hydrotherapy group and 8 weeks apart for Convention group|Passive range of motion - Flexion and Extension, Passive ROM is the ability of a joint to be moved through its normal arc of motion while relaxed and the motion was performed by an outside force, for example, the therapist's hand, the client's opposite hand, or gravity. Passive ROM allows the assessor to focus on the quality of the joint structure and ligaments., Post-op first session, Post-op 4 weeks, and 3) Post-op last session of rehabilitation programme; 12 weeks apart for Hydrotherapy group and 8 weeks apart for Convention group.