Effect of a 6-week rehabilitation program on gait parameters after total knee arthroplasty

Objectives: To investigate early changes in gait parameters following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods: Fifteen patients scheduled to undergo unilateral TKA at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between March 2009 and February 2010, were included in the study. This study was a prospective pretest-posttest experimental design; all patients underwent unilateral TKA, and were subjected to a 6-week standard postoperative rehabilitation program. Pain intensity and gait variables were evaluated before surgery and 6-weeks postoperatively using the Visual Analogue Scale and simple footprint method. Results: Statistical analysis showed improvement in pain intensity and reduction in gait velocity, cadence, and stride length following the 6-week postoperative exercise intervention compared with preoperatively. Conclusion: A 6-week postoperative exercise program is not a long enough time-period to restore walking abilities to their pre-surgery values in patients undergoing TKA. A longer period of rehabilitation is needed to improve the quality of the patient's gait.