Effectiveness of a Prehabilitation Program on Clinical, Functional and Psychological Variables in Candidates for Hip or Knee Arthroplasty Surgery.

We live in an increasingly aging society in which the incidence of osteoarticular diseases increases, among which osteoarthritis (OA) stands out. OA is a degenerative disorder of the different components of the joint leading to a progressive destruction of the same. The hip and knee being the most affected joints, OA presents multiple symptoms such as pain, stiffness and functional limitation, also causing psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, quality of sleep and poor perception of quality of life. Conventional treatment is aimed at alleviating symptoms, but when conservative therapies fail in the more advanced stages of the disease, total joint replacement surgery or arthroplasty is the therapeutic option of choice. Strength physical exercise (PE) and aerobic training have been shown to be effective in OA, obtaining positive effects on the symptoms and on variables that deteriorate this disease. The concept of pre-habilitation or preoperative rehabilitation has been shown through other studies in different pathologies (cardiopulmonary and musculoskeletal) to have positive effects at a clinical and functional level, however, the planning of a pre-habilitation protocol in hip or knee arthroplasty is still controversial.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect that a prehabilitation program will produce and its possible usefulness in those subjects who are waiting for a hip or knee arthroplasty. It is expected to find favorable results that support this therapy when it comes to reducing postoperative recovery times, functional capacity and other psychological variables of interest.

This powerful tool could represent a non-pharmacological and non-invasive therapy, as well as being useful and economical in the management of patients with OA in advanced stages.