Orthopedics Today reports on results from a recent study which showed the use of a pre-operative physical therapy session protocol with a supplemental microsite effectively reduced the number of post-operative physical therapy visits and time for readiness to discharge among patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty.

The HSS study randomly assigned 126 patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty to either participate in a one-time, one-on-one pre-operative physical therapy session protocol with a microsite, or no further education after a group education class.

"For patients undergoing joint replacement, physical therapy plays a huge role in the recovery phase after hospital discharge," said Rupali Soeters, PT, PhD. "The emphasis of this customized approach was attention to topics such as pre-operative preparation, function during the acute inpatient hospital stay, discharge instructions, negotiating activities of daily living after surgery, goal-setting and aligning patients' expectations regarding their upcoming surgery and post-surgical recovery, making it a true patient-centric approach."

Read the full article at Healio.com.