Spending time at the hospital after an operation can be emotionally, physically, and financially draining. Recently, the argument has been raised that patients might recover at home just as well. According to Daily RX, a new study looked at patients after knee replacement surgery, and the end results found that patients who were sent home did about as well as patients did that went to an inpatient rehabilitation program. These types of injuries and treatment oftentimes are the result of an auto accident or a slip and fall accident.
After a knee replacement operation, patients usually stay in the hospital for multiple days in order to receive care and physical therapy. Dr. Padgett, of the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City, NY along with his team, decided to conduct a study to see how doing physical therapy at home might affect patients. In order to do this study, Dr. Padgett looked at over 7,000 patients who had knee replacement surgery at HSS between the years of 2007 and 2011. These patients took surveys before, six months after, and two years later, and these results were compared with patients who went home and patients who stayed in the hospital after the operation.
After six months, Dr. Padgett and his team compared the results of the two groups and found no differences between the sets of patients. After this, they compared the groups after two years, and again, found extremely similar results when looked at factors such as pain level and knee function. “This study confirms that patients may be safely and effectively discharged home following [total knee replacement] dispelling the notion that inpatient rehabilitation is essential for successful recovery," Dr. Padgett and team wrote.
At The Michigan Law Firm, PLLC, we offer free consultations to those who have been injured in accidents. If you are unsure about who will pay for your physical therapy or other medical treatment, give us a call. Our accident lawyers work hard to recover any and all available monetary benefits under Michigan law. Contact us today at 844.4MI.FIRM.