Early Inpatient Rehabilitation After Elective Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

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Abstract
TOTAL JOINT replacements for the hip and knee are among the most common surgical procedures in the United States. Rehabilitation is essential to minimize disability after surgery, yet pressure on clinicians to reduce length of stay has limited the use of hospital rehabilitation services. Most patients can be discharged directly home in 5 to 7 days if they are medically stable and have completed a postoperative rehabilitation program.1 Those who were significantly older, lived alone, and had an increased number of comorbid conditions were at high risk for requiring further inpatient rehabilitation services before returning home.2 However, there are no practice parameters to determine how best to treat high-risk patients who are unable to go directly home after joint replacement surgery.