Exercise Program After Total Hip and Knee Replacement: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Randomized controlled trial. Patients will be enrolled at the moment of the pre-surgery assessment after verifying the inclusion/exclusion criteria and signing written informed consent. After surgical treatment (THR or TKR) and subsequent rehabilitation treatment (which usually lasts 3-4 months) patients will be contacted and the persistence of inclusion/exclusion criteria verified again. For each type of surgical procedure (i.e. THR or TKR) those, with confirmed inclusion criteria will be randomly assigned to the IG or the CG. The IG will participate in a 6-month exercise program based on the PAIR exercise protocol and will receive educational sessions and material on the importance of maintaining an active life style after THR or TKR. The CG will receive only educational sessions and material on the importance of maintaining an active life style after THR or TKR. Participants of both IG and CG will be assessed at the moment of randomization (post-surgery baseline) and, subsequently, after 3 and 6 months.