EXETER, NH — A new study done by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery found that patients who go home after knee replacement surgery and receive physical therapy at home do as well as those who go to an in-patient rehab facility. The study analyzed more than 2,400 patients enrolled in Hospital for Special Surgery’s Knee Replacement Registry from 2007 to 2011.
Researchers have found there to be no difference in complication rates within six months of a knee replacement, whether the patients went home or to an inpatient rehab facility after leaving the hospital. The vast majority of patients, around age 66, underwent a knee replacement for painful osteoarthritis. The study also concluded that both groups had similar experiences in terms of pain and function two years after surgery. Access Sports Medicine’s Dr. David Davis specializes in comprehensive surgery of the knee. He says new ways of managing post operative pain in patients undergoing knee surgery allows for an accelerated recovery period.
“Improvements in pain management and accelerated physical therapy protocols are allowing more and more people to avoid lengthy stays in hospitals and rehab centers, and getting them to return to the comfort and care of their own homes more quickly and efficiently,” he said.
To read the entire study, click here.