Weight-bearing Recommendation After Replacement of the Hip or Knee Joint

Verein zur Förderung der Rehabilitationsforschung in Schleswig-Holstein352 enrolled

Overview

Despite the widespread use of total hip and knee arthroplasty, there is a notable lack of consensus regarding postoperative treatment, mostly because of the lack of well-designed studies testing the efficacy and effectiveness of such practices. In particular, there are no evidence-based recommendations on the amount of weight that the patient should be advised to bear on the operated leg after the operation.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

352

Conditions

Osteoarthritis

Interventions

Recommend full weight-bearingBEHAVIORAL

The full weight-bearing group is trained in 4-point gait with crutches and is recommended to put as much weight as tolerated on the leg on which surgery has been performed, immediately after surgery

Recommend parital weight-bearingBEHAVIORAL

The partial weight-bearing group is trained in 3-point gait with crutches and is instructed to limit weight-bearing of the affected leg to 20kg for a period of six-weeks. Scales are used to train these participants not to exceed 20kg

Eligibility

Sex: ALL

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Patient who is about to receive unilateral hip or knee replacement surgery on an elective basis for diagnosis of osteoarthritis or femoral head necrosis Exclusion Criteria: * A history of septic arthritis, * Hip fracture, * Intraoperative complications, * History of implant surgery on the joint to be operated on, * Rheumatoid arthritis, * Amputations, * Inability to complete the questionnaires because of cognitive or language difficulties.

Locations (4)

Ostseeklinik Damp, Department I of Orthopedic Surgery

Damp, Germany

University of Schleswig-Holstein Medical Center, Kiel Campus

Kiel, Germany

University of Schleswig-Holstein Medical Center, Lübeck Campus

Lübeck, Germany

Wedel Hospital, Department of Surgery

Wedel, Germany

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Physical function, measured by means of the Western Ontario and McMaster universities (WOMAC) osteoarthritis index