Review Article
Year: 2022 | Month: September | Volume: 9 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 418-429
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20220949
Role of Virtual Rehabilitation in Total Knee Arthroplasty: Functional Outcomes and Cost-Effectiveness
Charumathi Polavarapu
Physical Therapist, CHI St. Luke's Health,1717 US-59 Loop N, Livingston, TX 77351
ABSTRACT
This review article aims to explore the role of virtual rehabilitation in total knee arthroplasty in terms of functional outcomes and cost-effectiveness. Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a widely performed surgery for end-stage knee osteoarthritis, requiring supervised rehabilitation for rapid recovery and pain relief. Virtual rehabilitation has been evolving as an alternative to the traditional rehabilitation program in the recent years especially during the predicament of COVID-19 pandemic.
Virtual rehabilitation leverages virtual reality (VR) technology to provide innovative, engaging, and measurable rehabilitation services that can complement or replace traditional therapy approaches. Virtual reality and telerehabilitation represent evolving fields in TKA rehabilitation, offering advantages over traditional therapy in terms of cost-effectiveness, improved outcomes, enhanced exercise adherence, and reduced barriers to accessing postoperative therapy. Despite the need for more research and standardized protocols, VR-based rehabilitation holds significant potential for optimizing the recovery process for patients undergoing TKA. The research indicates that VR-based rehabilitation programs for TKA patients have utilized a variety of interactive virtual environments, gaming activities, and feedback mechanisms to supplement traditional physical therapy exercises.
Virtual rehabilitation for TKA encourages clinician-patient interaction beyond the hospital setting and offers the advantages of cost savings, convenience, at-home monitoring, and coordination of care, improved functional outcomes, increased exercise adherence, better balance performance, and psychological benefits like reduced stress and anxiety, all of which are geared to improve adherence and overall patient satisfaction.
This review article outlines the importance of virtual rehabilitation in TKA, emphasizing cost-effectiveness and improved balance and function while maintaining enhanced adherence and exercise performance. This article also delves into the mode of administration of VR-based rehabilitation and its delivery, safety concerns, advantages and disadvantages, as well as the most common VR-based rehabilitation protocols for TKA. Further, it discusses the implications of virtual rehabilitation in the healthcare system and future directions for virtual rehabilitation in TKA.
In conclusion, the evidence indicates that virtual physical therapy (PT) with remote clinical oversight is a safe, effective, and more cost-effective alternative to traditional in-person PT for patients undergoing TKA.
Keywords: Virtual rehabilitation, virtual physical therapy, telehealth, telerehabilitation, total knee arthroplasty.
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