BACKGROUND: Achieving functional independence as early as possible is a major factor in the management of patients following Total Knee Replacement (TKR). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an early mobilisation program for patients after TKR.
METHODS: This was a prospective randomised controlled study. Twenty patients were allocated to an early mobilization group who mobilised within 4–6 hours after surgery and another twenty to a control group who followed a standard protocol of mobilising within the 24 hours after the surgery. Primary outcome measures were the length of hospital stay and pain scores. Secondary outcomes were the active knee range and the timed up and go (TUG) test as a functional measure.
RESULTS: Pain in the both groups decreased throughout the period however there was no statistically significant difference between groups (p = 0.614). In addition, no significant change in length of stay was noticed between the groups (p = 0.34).
CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that mobilization within 4–6 hours following TKR does not offer significant advantage over the current standard protocol of mobilizing within 24 hrs of surgery in terms of length of stay, pain or knee range of motion.
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