KALAMAZOO, Mich., Feb. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers found a music-exercise video in rehabilitating total knee replacement patients resulted in better surgery recovery.
"The video works in part because the patients have more fun doing the exercises," said Dr. Thomas G. Ryan of Michigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies and an orthopedic surgeon at Kalamazoo Orthopaedic Clinic.
"When the program is fun and motivating, patients are more likely to actually do it."
Total knee replacement is a surgical procedure in which the patient's natural knee joint is replaced with an artificial one, composed of metal and plastic.
Following total knee replacement, patients must perform a series of exercises several times a day to restore movement and strengthen the knee.
Ryan and his partners, Dr. Blake L. Ohlson and Ryan L. Adams, developed a video similar to a workout video. They found that patients who used the video were able to return to their usual daily activities an average of 59 percent faster than those that did not.
The findings were presented at the 74th annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in San Diego.
