Postsurgical knee rehabilitation. A five year study of four methods and 5,381 patients.

This study was an investigation into the influences of rehabilitation procedures on the long-term success of postsurgical knee patients. In a blind retrospective paradigm, the cases of 5,381 patients (2,417 females, 2,964 males; mean age, 32.7 years; age range, 13 to 61 years) were reviewed to correlate rehabilitation methods with postsurgical success. Postsurgical success was defined as patient resumption of required activities without symptom recurrence, over a period of 5 years after surgery. The four rehabilitation methods studied were programs of no exercise, home exercise, isotonic exercise, and isokinetic exercise. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences at the P = 0.05 level for comparison of the isokinetic exercise to the other methods on the basis of rehabilitation interval (isokinetic, 8.9 +/- 3.7 weeks; isotonic, 12.3 +/- 6.1 weeks; home, 10.0 +/- 4.5 weeks) and correlation to success (isokinetic, r = 0.92, isotonic, r = 0.48, home, r = 0.09, no exercise, r = 0.00). It was concluded that rehabilitation methods that incorporate isokinetic exercise are more efficient and effective than nonisokinetic programs in the long-term successful management of postsurgical knee patients.