Telerehabilitation Versus Clinic-Based Rehabilitation for Functional Recovery Following Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty

NCT07834229 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: (RA/4/20/6103)CRCPSIX000203
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 108
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine if rehabilitation delivered by telehealth works as well as rehabilitation delivered in person at a clinic, for people recovering from total knee replacement surgery. The main question it aims to answer is:

• Does rehabilitation by video call lead to knee-related quality of life that is just as good as rehabilitation completed in person at a clinic? Researchers will compare a telehealth group to a clinic group to see if telehealth rehabilitation works as well as in-person rehabilitation. Participants will:
• Take part in 9 rehabilitation sessions over 6 weeks, either by video call from home or in person at a clinic
• Follow a home exercise program using an online app
• Answer questions about their knee and daily activities before surgery, and again at 7 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery
• Have their knee movement and physical abilities, such as walking speed and climbing stairs, measured by a therapist before surgery, and again at 7 weeks, and 12 months after surgery

Conditions

Total Knee Arthroplasty Recovery; Total Knee Replacement; Knee Arthritis Osteoarthritis; Knee Range of Motion; Telehealth; Tele-rehabilitation; Total Knee Arthroplasty\(TKA\)

Keywords

Total Knee Arthroplasty; TKA; Telehealth

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Knee-Related Quality of Life (QOL) subscale of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)

  KOOS-QOL is a 4-item subscale of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) that assesses knee-related quality of life. Scores range from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates extreme knee-related problems and 100 indicates no knee-related problems. Higher scores indicate better knee-related quality of life.

  Pre-operative, 7 weeks post-surgery, 6 months post-surgery, and 12 months post-surgery

Secondary Outcomes (16)

• Pain subscale (KOOS-PAIN) of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)

  Pre-operative, 7 weeks post-surgery, 6 months post-surgery, and 12 months post-surgery

• Symptom subscale (KOOS-SYMPTOM) of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)

  Pre-operative, 7 weeks post-surgery, 6 months post-surgery, and 12 months post-surgery

• Activity of Daily Living (KOOS-ADLs) subscale of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)

  Pre-operative, 7 weeks post-surgery, 6 months post-surgery, and 12 months post-surgery

• Sport and Recreation subscale (KOOS-Sport and Recreation) of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)

  Pre-operative, 7 weeks post-surgery, 6 months post-surgery, and 12 months post-surgery

• Active knee flexion range of movement (ROM)

  Pre-operative, 7 weeks post-surgery, and 12 months post-surgery

Study Arms (2)

Telerehabilitation Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Treatment sessions were delivered and supervised remotely using telerehabilitation technology.

Behavioral: Rehabilitation treatment sessions focussing on education and exercise prescription.

Clinic Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Treatment sessions were delivered in-person at a single private rehabilitation clinic.

Behavioral: Rehabilitation treatment sessions focussing on education and exercise prescription.

Interventions

Rehabilitation treatment sessions focussing on education and exercise prescription. BEHAVIORAL

Both arms of the study received an identical rehabilitation protocol comprising nine supervised sessions delivered over a 6-week post-operative period (twice weekly for the first three weeks, followed by once weekly for a further three weeks), commencing 4-7 days after surgery. Each session lasted approximately 30 minutes and was delivered by Accredited Exercise Physiologists. Both groups were provided Home Exercise Programs (HEP) via an online platform.

Clinic Group; Telerehabilitation Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• undergoing primary elective TKA for the treatment of end stage knee OA
• ability to independently provide informed consent
• a willingness to attend all rehabilitation sessions and assessment time points, irrespective of the delivery

You may not qualify if:

• comorbidities preventing participation in rehabilitation (e.g., severe obstructive pulmonary disease, hemiplegia)
• revision TKA
• intra-operative complications precluding rehabilitation
• likely difficulties with follow-up
• inability to read or speak English
• unable to attend in person clinic visits due to travel distance
• unwillingness to comply with the rehabilitation protocol

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The University of Western Australia: lead

Study Sites (1)

HFRC Rehabilitation Clinic

Perth, Western Austrlaia, 6009, Australia

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principle Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 31, 2026
• First Posted: September 22, 2026
• Study Start: September 16, 2020
• Primary Completion: August 31, 2022
• Study Completion: August 31, 2022
• Last Updated: September 22, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-08

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

AU (1)