Effectiveness of balance exercises in the acute post-operative phase following total hip and knee arthroplasty: A randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness of balance exercises in the acute post-operative phase following total hip arthroplasty or total knee arthroplasty. METHODS Patients who had total hip arthroplasty (n = 30) or total knee arthroplasty (n = 33) were seen in their residence 1-2 times per week for 5 weeks. At the first post-operative home visit, patients were randomly assigned to either typical (TE, n = 33) or typical plus balance (TE + B, n = 30) exercise groups. The TE group completed seven typical surgery-specific joint range-of-motion and muscle strengthening exercises, while the TE + B group completed the typical exercises plus three balance exercises. Patients were assessed before and 5 weeks after administering the rehabilitation program using four outcome measures: (1) the Berg Balance Scale, (2) the Timed Up and Go test, (3) the Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, and (4) the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale. RESULTS Post-intervention scores for all four outcome measures were significantly improved (p < 0.01) over baseline scores. Patients who participated in the TE + B group demonstrated significantly greater improvement on the Berg Balance Scale and the Timed Up and Go tests (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Balance exercises added to a typical rehabilitation program resulted in significantly greater improvements in balance and functional mobility compared to typical exercises alone.