Kinematic Outcomes of Early-Stage Passive Rehabilitation in Subject Undergoing Knee Arthroplasty

The analysis of rehabilitative treatment outcomes, especially in orthopedics, can be subject to inaccuracies due to the reliance on qualitative assessments by physiatrists and therapists. This study aims to confidently identify quantitative kinematic indices obtained from inertial analyses that better describe the effectiveness of a passive rehabilitative treatment in subjects undergoing knee arthroplasty surgery due to osteoarthritis. The APDM Mobility Lab system was used for data collection, with a configuration of three OPAL Sensors (IMUs). The effectiveness of the rehabilitative treatment was assessed through a statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon Test. The results demonstrate an extremely significant difference in the following spatio-temporal metrics: RoMKnee and Duration (APA). Seven out of fifteen metrics showed significant or highly significant differences, while six metrics showed non-significant differences. Improvements in lower limb mobility and prosthetic knee range of motion are achieved at the end of the passive rehabilitation treatment, supported by a precise and quantitative accelerometric analysis. Integrating these methodologies into the qualitative analysis of rehabilitation treatment may be of particular relevance for the evaluation of rehabilitation outcome.Clinical Relevance- This study demonstrates the efficacy of quantitative inertial analysis in objectively assessing rehabilitative outcomes after knee arthroplasty. The findings highlight the early improvements in lower limb mobility and knee range of motion following passive rehabilitation. These findings provide clinicians with reliable, data-driven metrics to complement traditional qualitative evaluations and enhance treatment strategies.