Total Knee Arthroplasty: Current Concepts in Physical Therapy Management

Course Description

Course Description:

The knee is the most common site of painful osteoarthritis (OA) in people over the age of 45. When degenerative changes in the knee joint cause progressive pain and significantly impair mobility, a knee replacement may become necessary to restore functional ability and quality of life. Knee replacement surgery provides significant pain relief and restoration of functional mobility in patients with end-stage knee OA, with up to 90% of patients expressing satisfaction with their surgical outcomes (Singh & Lewallen, 2014).

Knee replacement surgery may be indicated in patients who have significant degenerative changes in the joint associated with conditions such as primary and secondary OA, rheumatoid arthritis, osteonecrosis, or joint destruction associated with osteomyelitis. The most frequent preoperative diagnosis for total knee arthroplasty is end-stage OA, which causes pain, joint instability, and impaired function. In the United States, total knee arthroplasty is one of the most common elective surgical procedures with more than 700,000 procedures performed each year (Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, 2015). Research is ongoing, but most experts contend that for the most successful postoperative outcome, rehabilitation is an essential component of recovery.