Feasibility and preliminary effects of a tele-prehabilitation program and an in-person prehablitation program compared to usual care for total hip or knee arthroplasty candidates: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Purpose: Prolonged wait times for total hip and knee arthroplasty have deleterious effects on functional status for the awaiting patients. Telerehabilitation interventions can optimize the delivery of perioperative care. This pilot single-blind randomized controlled trial evaluates the feasibility and the potential impact on pain and disability of a telerehabilitation prehabilitation program, compared to in-person prehabilitation or usual care. Material and methods: Thirty-four patients awaiting a total hip or knee arthroplasty were randomly assigned to (1) an in-person 12-week prehabilitation program, (2) a tele-prehabilitation program or (3) usual care. Outcomes were feasibility, patients' acceptance and compliance to the program, the LEFS, the WOMAC, SF-36, the Self-Pace Walk, the Stair Test, the Timed Up and Go, and a Global Rating of Change scale. Outcomes were collected at baseline and after 12 weeks. Results: Participants reported excellent satisfaction toward tele-prehabilitation. Compliance with the programs was high. No significant differences between groups were found for self-reported outcomes after the prehabilitation program (p >= 0.05). Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that tele-prehabilitation can be feasible using commercially available mobile technologies with patients awaiting total hip or knee arthroplasty, and can generate good satisfaction with this population. Further evaluation is warranted through a formal fully powered randomized controlled trial.