Can community physiotherapy match hospital rehab after knee replacement?
NCT ID NCT06270446
First seen Sep 24, 2026 · Last updated Sep 25, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This pilot study compares two ways of delivering physiotherapy after total knee replacement for knee osteoarthritis: at a community rehabilitation center versus at a hospital outpatient clinic. Researchers enroll adults aged 55 and older who had a single knee replacement and can walk independently before surgery. The study measures leg strength, knee flexibility, pain, and quality of life to see whether community-based rehab works as well as usual hospital care.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Physiotherapy delivered at a community rehabilitation center compared with physiotherapy at a hospital outpatient clinic
- What this could lead to
- If community-based physiotherapy works as well as hospital-based care, it could make knee replacement rehab easier to access and less dependent on hospital clinics.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small pilot study, so it may not show a clear difference between the two settings. Results might not apply to people with more complex knee replacements or other health conditions.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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59 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jan 2021
- Finished
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Jul 2022
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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55 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: i) unilateral TKA; ii) age 55 years old and above; iii) able to engage in outpatient physiotherapy; iii) postoperative knee flexion ≥75° and knee extension ≤5°; iv) able to ambulate independently preoperatively. Exclusion Criteria: i) had revision TKA or fully constrained knee arthroplasty; ii) had knee replacement for indications other than osteoarthritis; iii) had post-operative complications during hospital stay; iv) were unable to participate due to cognitive impairment or language barriers; v) had acute spinal diseases or joint, muscle or systemic diseases affecting gait; iv) had comorbid health conditions that would prevent active participation (e.g. prior hemiplegic stroke, severe cardiorespiratory illnesses.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Tan Tock Seng Hospital
Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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