OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to evaluate clinical benefits of virtual reality (VR) intervention for postoperative rehabilitation in osteoarthritis (OA) patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: A total of 66 OA patients undergoing unilateral TKA were recruited and randomly assigned to experimental (VR rehabilitation) and control (conventional rehabilitation) groups. Comparison of WOMAC osteoarthritis index, HSS knee score, and VAS scale for pain and knee range of motion (ROM) before and after TKA was performed. RESULTS: No significant differences were found in preoperative WOMAC index, HSS score, and knee ROM between control and experimental groups (p > 0.05). WOMAC indexes were significantly lower and HSS scores were significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group at 1, 3, and 6 months after TKA, respectively (p < 0.05). No significant difference was found in VAS scale for pain at 1 day after TKA, between the two groups (p > 0.05). VAS scales were significantly lower in experimental group than the control group at 3, 5, and 7 days after TKA (p < 0.05). Knee ROMs were significantly higher in the experimental group than control group at 3, 7, and 14 days after TKA (p < 0.05). It took 2.45 +/- 0.71 and 13.48 +/- 2.48 days for knee ROM to reach 60 degree and 90 degree in the experimental group, significantly lower than the 3.09 +/- 0.77 and 15.24 +/- 2.82 days in the control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Clinical application of VR intervention can aid rehabilitation, reduce postoperative pain, and improve functional recovery in OA patients undergoing TKA.

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