The Effect of Pilates Exercises on Pain, Outcomes, and Quality of Life of the Patients with Total Knee Replacement

Knee replacement means replacing the damaged joint with an artificial joint to reduce pain and improve range of motion. This surgery is effective and commonly used in treatment of severe knee osteoarthritis. This research aimed to assess the effect of 8 weeks of Pilates exercises on pain, outcomes, and quality of life of female patients with total knee replacement.
In this quasi-experimental study, 22 patients were selected through purposeful sampling and were randomly divided into an intervention (N=11) and a control (N=11) group. The patients in the intervention group took part in three 60-minute sessions of Pilates exercises for 8 weeks under the supervision of an instructor. In the same period, the patients in the control group did not participate in any exercise programs. Pain, outcomes, and quality of life were measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome (KOOS) in the two groups before and after exercise training. Then, the data were entered into the SPSS statistical software and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (T-test for the difference between the means of the independent groups).
The results showed no significant difference between the two groups regarding pain, symptoms, daily activities, sport and recreational activities, and quality of life before the intervention. However, a significant difference was observed between the two groups regarding pain intensity (P=0.001), symptoms (P=0.001), daily activities (P=0.001), sport and recreational activities (P=0.001), and quality of life (P=0.001) after the intervention.
It seems that Pilates exercises can be useful as a complementary technique alongside medication and conventional therapy for rehabilitation of patients with total knee replacement.