Effects of Elastic Band Exercise on Lower Limb Rehabilitation of Elderly Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty.

PURPOSE

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of elastic band exercise activities on lower extremity rehabilitation in elderly patients subjected to an elastic band exercise intervention 2 and 4 weeks after total knee arthroplasty.

DESIGN

A quasiexperimental study was conducted. Participants were recruited from southern Taiwan who were over 65 years old and had a first unilateral total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis.

METHODS

The control and experimental groups comprised 25 patients each. The control group received conventional treatment after total knee arthroplasty; by contrast, the experimental group engaged in elastic band exercise activities demonstrated by instructors, in addition to receiving conventional treatment. Effects of the lower extremity rehabilitation of the two groups were evaluated 2 and 4 weeks after total knee arthroplasty.

FINDINGS

Most of the participants were above 70 years of age, 17 of whom were in the control group (68%) and 16 in the experimental group (64%). The active and passive knee flexion angles of the experimental group were greater than those of the control group (p < .001) 2 and 4 weeks after surgery. The muscle strength of the quadriceps of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group (p < .001) 2 and 4 weeks after surgery. The experimental group exhibited significantly higher physical function than that of the control group 2 and 4 weeks after surgery (p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The elastic band exercise program shows promising effects on improving the lower limb rehabilitation of elderly patients with total knee arthroplasty.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Healthcare professionals who work with elderly patients with total knee arthroplasty may consider recommending and implementing the elastic band exercise program as a home rehabilitation method for this population. However, we recommend further testing of the long-term effects of this program on a larger population.