Influences of Balance Training With a Dynamometric Platform in Total Knee Arthroplasty

Valoración de la Puesta en Marcha en Artroplastias Totales de Rodilla Mediante un Trabajo Postural en Plataforma Dinamometrica

Knee osteoarthritis produces degeneration and joint wear that greatly affects the patient's proprioceptive system increasing instability. After total knee arthroplasty intervention, it is recommended that the patient performs a rehabilitation procedure to minimize deficits caused by surgery. In this job it is essential to insist on the importance of recovering balance after total knee arthroplasty intervention, and assess a specifically designed protocol to restore its function. An intervention which includes a dynamometric platform as a training method was proposed. The randomized clinical trial compared a control group that performed balance exercises on parallel bars, unstable plates, ramps and stairs against an experimental group that included dynamometric platforms training as a differentiator.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age between 65 and 85.
• Subjects with knee osteoarthritis that have not been operated before.
• Patients operated with the same total replacement prosthesis.
• Patients operated with the same surgical procedure.
• Time before intervention over 4 weeks.
• Time to start rehabilitation after surgery must be less than 4 weeks.
• The Result in Berg scale must be greater than 21, indicating a medium-low risk of falling.
• the Result of the Mini-Mental State Examination must be equal or greater than 20, which means they do not have moderate or severe cognitive impairment.
• Once the informed consent is read and explained, patients must accept and agree to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient does no accept sign the informed consent.
• Patient with morphological alterations hip or ankle (also knee).
• Patient that presents knee flexion out of the range between 70 ° and -20 ° because of the risk posed to suffer a fall.
• Patient with suspected deep vein thrombosis.
• Patient with post-surgical infection of the operated knee.
• Patient with psychiatric disorders: depression, anxious syndrome, etc.
• Patient with pathology of central origin (i.e. cerebellar) that could interfere with the results of the test of balance or strength
• Patient with vestibular pathology that could interfere with the results of the test of balance