Postoperative rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty

Background: Postoperative rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty plays a decisive role in restoring the function and mobility of the affected joint. However, there is still disagreement regarding the setting, structure and content of rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty, and the evidence on the individual measures is largely unclear. The aim of this article is to provide an evidence-based overview of the current status of rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty and to critically discuss the points that are still unclear. In view of the increasing prevalence of knee osteoarthritis and the rising number of knee endoprosthesis implantations, the optimization and scientific processing of postoperative rehabilitation is more important than ever in order to be able to offer scientifically sound, practice-oriented and cost-effective rehabilitation measures in the future. Material and methods: This review is based on a systematic literature search in Medline, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases on the topic of postoperative rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty. Results: Regarding specific treatment components, duration and frequency after knee arthroplasty, the evidence is unclear. Passive therapies should only be used supportive to active interventions. Educational programmes before and after knee arthroplasty can play a crucial role in outcome and patient satisfaction. Regular strength training should always be combined with centrally oriented components, such as motor imagery, to achieve better movement visualization and central anchoring. Summary: There is still a frequent lack of scientific evidence regarding individual therapeutic measures, their intensity, frequency, duration, exercise selection and their specific implementation in rehabilitation after knee arthroplasty. In the future, digital diagnostic and training tools will become established in both inpatient and outpatient therapy, supporting the urgently needed data collection for the scientific analysis of individual therapeutic measures.