A combined one-on-one/group-circuit physiotherapy

INTERVENTION: All participants received physiotherapy twice daily as per the standard treatment regime in the Rehabilitation Ward. Group B participants (experimental group) received a one‐on‐one physiotherapy session in the morning and a group‐circuit session in the afternoon (both 30 minutes duration, 5 days a week, for the length of the particpants admission). The non‐physiotherapy components of multidisciplinary care, including occupational therapy, dietetics and pain management, were provided as required to both groups as part of standard practice within the Rehabilitation Ward. The Group B participants' morning session, that is one‐on‐one physiotherapy sessions. Were conducted under the direct and constant supervision of a physiotherapist from the Rehabilitation Ward, with a 1:1 therapist‐to‐patient ratio maintained at all times.These sessions were conducted as per usual care and were not based on any particular treatment protocol; rather, they were tailored to the individual patient based on the clinical decisions of the treating physiotherapist. In the afternoon Group B participants' group‐circuit physiotherapy sessions included a maximum of six participants at any one time, with each class supervised by one physiotherapist and one physiotherapist‐assistant working on the Rehabilitation Ward. These sessions included a set of core exercises that targeted flexibility/range of motion, functional strength, balance, mobility and endurance. Each participant worked at each station for 2 minutes before rotation to the next station. CONDITION: Post acute lower limb orthopaedic inpatient in rehabiliation PRIMARY OUTCOME: "Cost‐saving" as measured by length‐of‐stay and required physiotherapist contact hours. This is in the point of view of the investigators. SECONDARY OUTCOME: Functional mobility as measured by the Berg Balance scale. Level of perceived pain at rest using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Mobility aid use during the TUG and 10mWT was scored according to a 5‐point scale where: 1 = no aid; 2 = Single Point Stick (SPS)/crutches; 3 = Four‐Wheel‐Walker (4WW); 4 = Hopper; and, 5 = Forearm Support ; Frame (FASF). Physical mobility as measured by the Timed‐Up‐and‐Go (TUG) Physical mobility as measured by the timed 10m walk‐test (10mWT) INCLUSION CRITERIA: (i) age of 50 years or over; and, (ii) admission for post‐acute phase lower‐limb orthopaedic in‐patient rehabilitation, specifically following knee or hip arthroplasty, pelvic fracture and/or lower‐limb open‐reduction‐internal‐fixation (ORIF) surgery. In cases involving athroplasty, patients were included whether the surgical prothesis was a total‐ or hemi‐arthroplasty and, whether the surgery was a primary or revision procedure.