Action Observation in Hip Replacement

Effects of Action Observation Therapy in Patients Recovering From Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Prospective Clinical Trial

Postoperative rehabilitation is required for a successful outcome following total hip arthroplasty. Traditionally rehabilitative programs aim to increase range of motion, to strengthen quadriceps, to restore normal gait, and to recover independence in activities of daily living. In the last decade action observation treatment, in addition to conventional physiotherapy has been proposed as a treatment method in rehabilitative medicine. There is growing evidence of the applicability of action observation training in rehabilitative medicine, indeed it has been applied in the rehabilitation of stroke of Parkinson disease of cerebral palsy and of aphasia.

Nevertheless those are small studies and one of them included a mixed population of hip and knee arthroplasty.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Primary total hip replacement.

Exclusion Criteria:

• bilateral hip replacement
• previous total hip replacement.
• pre-existing motor impairment (i.e. hemiparesis, poliomyelitis, lumbar sciatica);