Paraspinal NMES and Spinopelvic Alignment After Knee Arthroplasty

Conditions

• Knee Osteoarthritis
• Postoperative Rehabilitation

Eligibility Criteria

Sex

ALL

Age

40 Years - 80 Years

Healthy Volunteers

Not accepted

Interventions

• Standard Postoperative Rehabilitation Program — OTHER
  A structured rehabilitation program including early postoperative mobilization (days 1-3: standing, short-distance ambulation, quadriceps isometric exercises, ankle pumping, breathing exercises, cold application), pre-rehabilitation phase (days 4-15: assisted ambulation, straight leg raise, passive range-of-motion exercises), and active rehabilitation phase (weeks 2-3: active-assisted knee ROM exercises, closed kinetic chain exercises, balance training, stair and gait training), along with pain and edema control throughout.
• Quadriceps Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation — DEVICE
  Surface NMES applied bilaterally over the vastus medialis obliquus and rectus femoris muscles (long-sitting position, knee at 30° flexion). Parameters: 50 Hz frequency, 300-400 µs pulse width, duty cycle 1:3 (10 sec on-30 sec off), intensity titrated to patient tolerance to produce visible muscle contraction, 20 minutes/session, once daily, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks.
• Paraspinal Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation — DEVICE
  Surface NMES applied bilaterally to the lumbar paraspinal muscles (erector spinae and multifidus) via 4 hydrogel electrodes placed bilaterally around the L4-L5 spinous processes, in prone position. Parameters: 50 Hz frequency, 250-350 µs pulse width, duty cycle 1:3 (10 sec on-30 sec off), intensity titrated to patient tolerance to produce visible muscle contraction, 20 minutes/session, once daily, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks.

Study Details

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a widely performed surgical procedure for patients with severe knee osteoarthritis. Following TKA, changes in lower extremity alignment and gait mechanics may influence the spinopelvic sagittal alignment, and postoperative rehabilitation programs traditionally focus on the knee joint without addressing the lumbopelvic chain. This study aims to investigate whether adding paraspinal neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) to a standard postoperative rehabilitation program (which includes quadriceps NMES) affects spinopelvic sagittal alignment parameters in patients undergoing TKA for primary knee osteoarthritis, compared with standard rehabilitation and quadriceps NMES alone. In this single-center, prospective, randomized, single-blind (outcome assessor-blinded) controlled trial, eligible participants aged 40-80 years with primary knee osteoarthritis scheduled for TKA and with measurable spinopelvic malalignment will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive either standard rehabilitation with quadriceps NMES plus paraspinal NMES (intervention group) or standard rehabilitation with quadriceps NMES alone (control group) for 4 weeks (20 sessions). The primary outcome is the change in radiographic spinopelvic parameters - including pelvic tilt, sacral slope, pelvic incidence, lumbar lordosis, sagittal vertical axis, and spinosacral angle - measured on standing lateral whole-spine radiographs at baseline (preoperative), before rehabilitation, after the 4-week intervention, and at 6-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes include knee and back pain (VAS), functional and quality-of-life measures (WOMAC, Knee Society Score, Forgotten Joint Score, Oswestry Disability Index, Nottingham Health Profile), performance-based tests (Timed Up and Go, 6-Minute Walk Test), and knee range of motion. The investigators hypothesize that adding paraspinal NMES to standard rehabilitation will result in greater improvement in spinopelvic alignment parameters, and potentially in clinical/functional outcomes, compared with standard rehabilitation alone.

Key Dates

First listed

Aug 3, 2026

Start date

Jul 30, 2026

Status verified

Jul 2026

Primary completion

Jul 30, 2027

Completion

Jul 30, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment

80 participants (estimated)

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

TREATMENT

Arms

• Experimental: Experimental: Intervention Group
  Standard Rehabilitasyon + Quadriceps NMES + Paraspinal NMES Description: Participants in this arm will receive the standard postoperative rehabilitation program combined with quadriceps NMES, plus additional paraspinal (erector spinae and multifidus) NMES applied bilaterally over the L4-L5 region for 20 minutes/day, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks.
• Active Comparator: Active Comparator: Control Group
  Standard Rehabilitasyon + Quadriceps NMES Description: Participants in this arm will receive the same standard postoperative rehabilitation program combined with quadriceps NMES (bilateral VMO and rectus femoris electrode placement) for 20 minutes/day, 5 days/week, for 4 weeks, without paraspinal NMES.

Primary Outcome Measure

Change from Baseline in Pelvic Tilt (PT) [ Time Frame: Baseline (preoperative, T0), before rehabilitation (postoperative, T1), end of 4-week intervention (postoperative week 6, T2), and 6-month follow-up (T4) ]

Central Contacts

• Sinem Akselim
  +905336391332
  [email protected]

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