The Effect of Early Mobilization on Pain and Mobility Levels in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Prosthesis.

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the effect of early mobilization on pain and mobility levels in individuals undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial.

Methods: This study was carried out in the orthopedic and traumatology department of a public hospital in Turkey. The data were collected between September 2022 and June 2023. The study sample consisted of 68 patients, 34 in the intervention group and 34 in the control group. Patient Information Form, Brief Pain Inventory, Patient Mobility Scale, and Observer Mobility Scale were used as data collection tools.

Findings: The decrease in the "current pain" 20th-hour value was significant compared to the "current pain" 8th-hour value in patients in the intervention group. In the control group, the mean value of the Patient Mobility Scale at the 20th hour was significantly higher than the intervention group. In the intervention group, the pain and difficulty measurements during the movements of turning from side to side in the bed, sitting on the edge of the bed, standing up on the edge of the bed, and walking in the patient room at the 20th hour decreased significantly compared to the 8th hour. In the control group, the mean of the Observer Mobility Scale at the 20th hour was considerably higher than the intervention group.

Conclusions: Early mobilization positively affected the patient's pain and mobility levels. An early mobilization protocol should be established and implemented in the postoperative period.