Can a home exercise program match formal physical therapy after leg fracture surgery?
NCT ID NCT07783568
First seen Aug 25, 2026 · Last updated Aug 26, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This trial asks whether formal outpatient physical therapy leads to better recovery than a self-guided home exercise program for people who had surgery for a broken thigh or shin bone. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the two programs and followed for a year with surveys and physical assessments. The goal is to see if the two approaches produce different outcomes in movement, pain, and function.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Formal physical therapy (PT) versus a self-guided home exercise program (HEP)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that a home exercise program is just as effective as formal physical therapy, potentially reducing healthcare costs and improving access to rehabilitation.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage trial with only 80 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The outcome depends on patient adherence to the assigned program, and individual recovery can vary widely.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
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
-
About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
-
Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
-
Sep 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
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
-
18 to 60 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
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: * Age 18 or older * Unstable femoral or tibial shaft fracture treated with a locked intramedullary nail * Willing and able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Patients with weight-bearing or range of motion restrictions * Patients treated surgically more than 3 weeks prior * Previously non-ambulatory patients * Pre-existing functional deficit of the lower extremities * Patients over the age of 60 years * Non-English-speaking patients * Patients unwilling or unlikely to attend follow-up visits Patients who sustain: 1. Polytraumatic injuries that preclude the use of assistive devices 2. Closed head injury limiting cognition 3. Nerve injury resulting in motor deficits
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Femoral shaft fracture are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.