Highlights
- •Muscle weakness and functional impairments often persist for years after total knee arthroplasty.
- •Untrained women, older people with knee osteoarthritis, and patients after total knee arthroplasty achieve improvements of knee muscle strength through whole-body vibration training and progressive resistance training.
- •Both functional physiotherapy and leg-press training with moderate vibrations are effective in improving strength and function in patients after total knee arthroplasty.
- •Leg-press training involving moderate vibration is a safe, effective, and time-saving procedure in restoring muscle strength and functional capacity shortly after total knee arthroplasty.
Abstract
Objectives
To examine the effects of a time-saving leg-press training program with moderate vibration
on strength parameters, pain, and functional outcomes of patients after total knee
arthroplasty (TKA) in comparison with functional physiotherapy.
Design
Randomized controlled trial.
Setting
Outpatient rehabilitation department at a university teaching hospital.
Participants
Patients (N=55) with TKA were randomly allocated into 2 rehabilitation groups.
Interventions
Six weeks after TKA, participants either underwent isokinetic leg-press training combined
with moderate vibration (n=26) of 15 minutes per session or functional physiotherapy
(n=29) of 30 minutes per session. Both groups received therapy twice a week for a
period of 6 weeks. Participants were evaluated at baseline (6wk after TKA) and after
the 6-week rehabilitation program.
Main Outcome Measures
The main outcome measure was maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the involved leg.
Secondary outcome measures were pain assessed with a visual analog scale (VAS), range
of motion, stair test, timed Up and Go test, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities
Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC).
Results
Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in MVC of knee extensors
measured on the knee dynamometer (leg-press group: from 0.8±.06 to 1±.09Nm/kg body
weight [BW], physiotherapy group: from 0.7±.06 to 0.9±.06Nm/kg BW; P<.05) and in closed kinetic chain on the leg press (leg-press group: from 8.9±.77
to 10.3±1.06N/kg BW, physiotherapy group: from 6.7±.54 to 9.1±.70N/kg BW; P<.05) and in pain at rest (leg-press group: from 2±.36 to 1.3±.36 on the VAS, physiotherapy
group: from 1.2±.28 to 1.1±.31; P<.05), WOMAC scores, and functional measurements after 6 weeks of training. There
was no significant difference between the 2 groups concerning strength, pain, and
functional outcomes after training (P>.05).
Conclusions
Isokinetic leg-press training with moderate vibration and functional physiotherapy
are both effective in regaining muscle strength and function after TKA; however, isokinetic
leg-press training is considerably less time consuming.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
BW (body weight), MVC (maximal voluntary contraction), ROM (range of motion), TKA (total knee arthroplasty), TUG (timed Up and Go), VAS (visual analog scale), WBV (whole-body vibration), WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMasters University Osteoarthritis Index)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 04, 2016
Footnotes
Supported by the European Region Development Fund (Interreg IIIA) and the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (BM:BWK; grant no. BMWF-309.052).
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
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- Efficacy and Safety of Leg-Press Training With Moderate Vibration After Total Knee Arthroplasty Remains UnclearArchives of Physical Medicine and RehabilitationVol. 97Issue 11
- PreviewWith great interest we read the article by Bily et al.1 We appreciate the effort of the study group to evaluate an innovatory method of rehabilitation after a total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This type of research is needed because of the lack of evidence-based rehabilitation programs after TKA. The topic of the study is also relevant with regard to the increasing rate of TKAs and the related growing financial burden to the health care system. However, we have some concerns about the study.
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