NINETY patients will have their pedal power measured to test recovery of muscle function following major knee surgery.
Five orthopaedic surgeons at St John of God Hospital in Murdoch are behind the study.
Lead investigator Mark Hurworth said there was no standard way to reliably test muscle function after knee replacement surgery.
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READ NOW“Common practice is to test muscle strength subjectively in the clinic,” he said.
“We really need a more scientifically rigorous method to test muscle function and outcomes of the surgery.”
The study, which involves patients using a bicycle with a power meter, will test muscle power prior to the operation.
Patients will then be tested at three, six and 12 months after surgery.
“We are confident the bike power meter will prove to be a reliable and easy test and will help us identify those patients who are not recovering well,” Mr Hurworth said.
“We will then be able to provide these patients with more rehabilitation to speed up their recovery from surgery.”
The hope is the measurement tool, if effective, could be used to test recovery from other procedures including hip replacements.
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