Effectiveness of muscle strengthening in early postoperative total knee arthroplasty: systematic review with meta-analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/Keywords:
Knee Arthroplasty, Exercise, Physical therapy, Postoperative, RehabilitationAbstract
Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is a surgical
intervention, in which the affected joint is replaced by a
prosthesis. Physical therapy is essential in rehabilitation
after TKA, which can decrease the length of hospital stay,
reduce symptoms and improve knee function. This study
aimed to analyze the effects of muscle strengthening
on the functioning of individuals with TKA in the early
postoperative period. Studies were retrieved from the
Pubmed, PEDro, LILACS, EMBASE, CINAHL and Cochrane
Library databases, using following terms and keywords:
Arthroplasties, Knee Replacement, Physiotherapy,
Exercise, Rehabilitation and Postoperative. All included
studies were assessed for methodological quality, using
the PEDro Scale. Only randomized controlled trials
involving unicompartmental knee replacement in the early postoperative period were included in this review. All meta-analyses
were conducted using the Review Manager - RevMane software
described as standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95%
confidence intervals (CI). Nine studies were chosen to review the
full text. The main findings demonstrated that muscle strengthening,
after comparison with other variables, was effective only for the
variable muscle strength (two studies, n=155; MD=−1.39, 95% CI
[−2.58, −0.19]; p=0,02; I²=96%) improving overall functioning. For the
other analyses, however, no significant differences were observed.
This study outcomes suggest muscle strengthening—when initiated
in the early postoperative period—is better than the comparison
conditions in knee functioning.
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