• F Fatoye, G Yeowell, J M Wright, and T Gebrye.
• Department of Health Professions, Faculty of Health, Psychology, and Social Care, Manchester Metropolitan University, Brooks Building, 53 Bonsall Street, Manchester, M15 6GX, UK. f.fatoye@mmu.ac.uk.
• Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2021 Oct 1; 141 (10): 1761-1778.

PurposeOsteoarthritis is the single most common cause of pain and disability in older adults. This review addresses the question of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions following total knee replacement (TKR).MethodsA systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. MEDLINE, CINAHL, AMED, DARE, HTA and NHS EED databases were searched from inception to 02 May 2020. Search terms related to the clinical and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions were used. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified and key data were extracted. Random effect meta-analysis was conducted for pain, physical function and range of motion (ROM).ResultsIn total, 1467 studies were identified. Of these, 26 studies were included; methodological quality of most studies was adequate. Physiotherapy interventions were more effective than control for function, SMD - 0.166 [95% Confidence Interval (CI) - 0.420 to 0.088.] and ROM, SMD - 0.219 [95% CI - 0.465 to 0.028] for a follow-up of 2 or 3 months. Patients in the intervention group showed improvement in pain at 12-13 weeks, SMD - 0.175 [95% CI - 0.416 to 0.067]. No evidence on the pooled estimate of cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions was found.ConclusionsThis is the first systematic review and meta-analysis that has examined the clinical and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions following TKR. The findings of this review suggest that physiotherapy interventions were effective for improving physical function, ROM and pain in a short-term follow-up following TKR. Insufficient evidence exists to establish the benefit of physiotherapy in the long term for patient with TKR. Further study should examine the long-term effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions.© 2021. The Author(s).

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