Early Short-Term Rehabilitation Improves Patient Satisfaction For Total Knee Arthroplasty On Discharge: A Retrospective Observational Study

Abstract Background: Early initiated rehabilitation is generally thought to be conducive in achieving optimal results following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, the impact of early rehabilitation on patient satisfaction has not been elucidated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an early short-term rehabilitation by therapist on inpatient satisfaction and functional outcomes.Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 2 cohorts of patients who had undergone TKAs between November 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021. Patients in therapist group received a therapist-led rehabilitation program, while patients in conventional group received a common rehabilitation program guided by surgeons. The programs were both started on postoperative day (POD) 1 and lasted for 3 days. Outcomes included patient satisfaction, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain score, range of motion (ROM) on POD4 and functional outcomes at 3 and 6 weeks postoperative.Results: A total of 113 patients (79% female) were included, with 59.2% were satisfied, and 40.8% dissatisfied. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, therapist rehabilitation significantly improved the overall satisfaction (2.5; 95% CI, 1.1-5.7) and ROM (7.5°; 95% CI, 1.9-12.7) respectively, but reduced pain without a significance as well as the functional scores at 3 weeks after surgery. The multivariate adjusted smoothing spline plots between age and satisfaction percent showed therapist is more important for patients over 65 years.Conclusion: Early short-term therapist rehabilitation enhanced patient satisfaction and ROM during the inpatient time, especially for patients more than 65 years.