Hip replacement patients benefit from exercise programme

Friday December 16th, 2011

Patients who receive exercises to increase strength and improve walking following hip replacement surgery benefit hugely, a new report has said.

A study in Norway found that a physical therapy programme that continued up to 12 months after surgery reaped positive results, including increased distance a patient could walk and ease of stair climbing.

Results of the study carried out at the University of Oslo in Norway appear in Arthritis Care & Research.

Previous research reported pain relief, a return to daily functioning, and maintaining an active lifestyle to be high priorities for hip replacement patients.

But several studies have also shown patients with hip replacements had more walking impairment compared to healthy peers, and displayed poorer hip flexibility and muscle strength in their affected hip.

“Physical therapy, particularly exercises that increase strength and improve walking, is a major component of patient rehabilitation following hip arthroplasty,” said Kristi Elisabeth Heiberg, lead author of the study.

The research team recruited patients undergoing total hip replacement at two hospitals in the Oslo area to investigate the effects of a walking skills training programme on walking, stair-climbing, balance, physical function and pain.

A total of 68 patients were enrolled from October 2008 through March 2010, and were randomly assigned into two groups. A training group comprised 35 people, a control group 33.

Participants in the training group took part in 12 70-minute sessions that were led by a physical therapist twice a week and included physical activities such as sitting to standing, walking over obstacles, walking with turns, and climbing stairs.

Checks three months after surgery found that 66 per cent of those in the training group and 15 per cent in the control group improved their walking distance to 164 feet (50 metres) or more by the fifth month following hip replacement surgery.

At 12 months post surgery, the training group showed greater improvement in walking distance and stair climbing abilities than the control.

“Our findings suggest physical rehabilitation helps improve mobility and function in patients who received hip replacements,” says Ms Heiburg.

Tags: Europe | Fitness | Orthopaedics

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