Effect of Core Exercises on Clinical and Functional Outcomes After Total Knee Arthroplasty in Individuals With Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

BackgroundCore muscles constitute the centre of the kinetic chain, and core exercises have been effective in improving outcomes in many postsurgical lower extremity musculoskeletal conditions. However, the literature on the implementation of core exercises after TKA has not been summarised.ObjectiveThe objective was to review the evidence on the effect of core exercises on clinical and functional outcomes after TKA in individuals with knee osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsPubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, and ProQuest databases were explored with appropriate keywords for studies published on the effect of core exercises on TKA from inception to 1 April 2024. Two authors independently screened the titles and abstracts and full‐texts, and a third author solved the discrepancies. Risk of bias assessment was done with the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal tool. The final articles were systematically summarised.ResultsA total of 1485 records were retrieved. Sixty‐four articles were included for screening full‐texts, and four articles were ultimately included. Core exercises were administered for three to 6 weeks. The administration of core exercises along with the standard knee rehabilitation programme significantly improved balance, mobility, knee function, transverse abdominis muscle thickness, transversus abdominis contraction, and quality of life after TKA (p < 0.05).ConclusionsCore exercises can be administered as an adjunct to standard rehabilitation programs to improve clinical and functional outcomes after TKA. However, there is a dearth of literature in this domain, and more studies are warranted.Trial RegistrationPROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42024542992