Does Proprioception-Based Rehabilitation Enhance Functional Outcome in Total Knee Arthroplasty? A Prospective Randomised Study.

Introduction: Rehabilitation after Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) often includes proprioceptive exercises to prevent falls, but studies on proprioceptive training have yielded conflicting findings. This study aims to explore impact of proprioceptive training on functional performance after TKA.

Methods: Eighty patients who underwent unilateral TKA were randomly assigned to a proprioceptive exercise (PE) group or a routine exercises (RE) group. The PE group received proprioceptive exercises in addition to routine physiotherapy. Osteoarthritis Research Society Internal (OARSI) recommended tests and Oxford Knee Score (OKS) were used to assess performance and outcome at 3 and 6 months.

Results: In the 30-s chair sits test, the PE group outperformed the RE group at 3 months (13.69 vs. 9.17) and 6 months (21.07 vs. 18.63) ( < 0.001 and  = 0.030). Stair climbing favoured PE group at 3 months (8.86 vs. 16.66,  = 0.037) and 6 months (0.556 vs. 1.133, p = 0.001). At 6 months in the 40-m fast-paced walk test, the PE group had a significantly shorter time (0.308 min vs. 0.557 min,  < 0.001). Timed up and go test at 6 months favoured PE group (0.204 min vs. 0.377 min). In the 6-min walk test, the PE group covered significantly greater distances than the RE group at 3 months (589.59 vs. 346.53 m,  < 0.001) and 6 months (649.60 vs. 448.32 m,  < 0.001). OKS at 3 months was 38 ± 2.0 for PE group and 38 ± 4 for RE group ( = 1). OKS at 6 months was 42 ± 4 for PE group and 40 ± 2 for RE group ( = 0.94).

Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of proprioception-based rehabilitation in improving functional performance for TKA patients, surpassing traditional rehabilitation programmes.