Project Description
Wait times for hip and knee joint replacement surgery in Saskatchewan are the longest in Canada and have grown even longer during the Covid-19 pandemic. Education and exercise management are recommended internationally as key treatment approaches for people with hip and knee osteoarthritis (OA) prior to surgery. This project will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a physiotherapist-led education and exercise program for people who are awaiting hip or knee replacement surgery.
Structured physiotherapist led education and exercise programs for people with hip and knee OA have been shown to be effective for people who are NOT awaiting joint replacement surgery, but the impacts of such a program for people who are waiting for surgery is unknown. This pilot project will allow our team to explore whether a supervised education and exercise program is feasible and acceptable for people awaiting hip or knee replacement surgery in Saskatchewan. We will use what we learn from this project to implement and evaluate similar larger scale innovations throughout the province.
This project represents an opportunity to evaluate an innovation that can potentially reduce the surgical backlog and improve post-operative outcomes for those who have joint replacement surgery.
Eligibility Criteria
We are looking for people who:
- Have hip or knee osteoarthritis
- Are currently on the elective surgical waitlist for a hip or knee replacement
What is involved?
As a participant in this study you will:
- Complete a series of questionnaires and functional assessments
- Complete a Saskatoon-based physiotherapy-led osteoarthritis exercise program (8 weeks, twice weekly, 1-hour exercise sessions) at Craven SPORT Services.
Contact Information
Principal Investigator, School of Rehabilitation Science, College of Medicine
306-966-6573 or OAResearch@usask.ca