Telerehabilitation for patients with total knee replacement.

INTERVENTION: Outpatients participated in either a telerehabilitation once a week for a period of six weeks. The telerehabilitation program involved participants receiving their rehabilitation program via a videoconference established across an internet link using a custom built telerehabilitation system. As no physical contact between therapist and patient was possible across the link, the rehabilitation program consisted of self‐applied techniques under the supervision of the remote therapist and a customised exercise program to adress the participants specific rehabilitation needs. CONDITION: Total knee arthroplasty PRIMARY OUTCOME: 1. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) 2. The Patient Specific Functional Scale 3. The Spitzer Quality of Life Uniscale 4. The timed up‐and‐go test 5. Pain intensity, using a visual‐analogue scale SECONDARY OUTCOME: 1. Active and passive knee flexion angle and knee extension angle. 2. Quadriceps muscle strength. 3. Limb girth measurements to assess swelling in the knee. 4. Assessment of gait (Gait Assessment Rating Scale). INCLUSION CRITERIA: 1. Healthy subjects with no concomitant medical conditions that would prevent them from participating in a physical rehabilitation program (e.g. severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)2. Adult subjects who could provide informed consent. 3. Normal mentation with the ability to accurately follow commands4. Uni‐compartmental, unilateral or bilateral total knee replacement. May have a fully constrained, semi‐constrained or unconstrained prosthesis 5. Common surgical approach for total knee replacement including: medial parapatellar arthrotomy technique, subvastus arthrotomy technique or trivector‐retaining arthrotomy technique6. The ability to attend physiotherapy rehabilitation for a minimum period of six weeks post operatively7. Ability to at least partially weight‐bear.8. Ability to participate voluntarily and provide signed informed consent.