Outcome of a Rehabilitation Exercise Program for Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty at King Narai Hospital

Abstract

Knee osteoarthritis patients often undergo total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and are typically discharged within 1-2 days after surgery—a short recovery period that may lead to complications such as pain and limited range of motion.
This study aimed to evaluate the rehabilitation outcomes following TKA in terms of range of motion, pain levels, and knee function. A single-group, repeated-measures quasi-experimental design was employed, involving 54 TKA patients at King Narai Hospital between April and September 2024. Data were collected using the Oxford Knee Score, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Universal Goniometer. Descriptive statistics and repeated-measures ANOVA were utilized for analysis. The average age of participants was 64.42 ± 7.45 years, with 88.89% being female. After surgery, knee flexion decreased from 96.79 ± 13.24° to 62.59 ± 9.10° during hospitalization but increased to 97.96 ± 10.07° at three months. Knee extension temporarily increased from 14.72 ± 8.76° to 27.12 ± 6.84° during hospitalization and then improved to 11.31 ± 6.1° at three months. Pain levels rose from 5.42 ± 1.63 to 5.77 ± 1.51 during hospitalization but significantly decreased to 1.87 ± 1.08 at three months. The Oxford Knee Score demonstrated significant improvement at all time points (p<.005), with the greatest improvement observed at three months post-surgery compared to baseline.