Could a smart brace replace physical therapy after knee surgery?
NCT ID NCT04924205
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study compares two ways to recover after total knee replacement: standard outpatient physical therapy versus using a smart knee brace (FM2) at home. Eighty adults who need knee replacement will be randomly assigned to one of the two groups. Researchers will measure knee motion, therapy compliance, and complications over one year to see if the brace works as well as traditional therapy.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- FM2 Knee Brace (a wearable smart orthotic device)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a convenient, at-home alternative to traditional physical therapy after knee replacement surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (80 people) testing if the brace is 'not worse' than standard therapy. It may not prove better, and results may not apply to everyone.
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
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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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About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2021
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- 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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18 to 100 years
- 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: * Ages 18-100 * Indicated for primary total knee arthroplasty * Possess a smartphone with capabilities to use the FocusMotion app and FM2 Knee Brace * Home discharge post-operatively Exclusion Criteria: * Prior ipsilateral knee surgery * Prior manipulation under anesthesia of either knee * BMI \> 40
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics
RECRUITINGIowa City, Iowa, 52242, United States
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Can a faster recovery plan get knee replacement patients home sooner?
- Pre-Surgery breathing workouts may speed recovery after joint surgery
- Knee implant survival check: will new plastic design outperform the old?
- Which nerve block gets knee patients moving faster?