Application of wearable neuromuscular electrical stimulation in home-based rehabilitation following total…

Cohort studyBMC musculoskeletal disorders· Apr 2026

Application of wearable neuromuscular electrical stimulation in home-based rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty- a retrospective cohort comparison.

Xin Wang, Runkai Zhao, Pengcheng Li … Guoqiang Zhang

Musculoskeletal RehabilitationCohort studyTreatmentQ2IF 2.9

Wearable neuromuscular electrical stimulation improved knee range of motion 8° more than standard rehab at 12 weeks

Application of wearable neuromuscular electrical stimulation in home-based rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty- a retrospective cohort comparison.

Xin Wang … Guoqiang Zhang

BMC musculoskeletal disorders · Apr 2026

Purpose

To evaluate the short-term outcomes of home-based rehabilitation using wearable neuromuscular electrical stimulation (neuromuscular electrical stimulation) compared with conventional home rehabilitation with outpatient guidance following primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty (total knee arthroplasty).

Methods

A retrospective propensity score–matched cohort analysis of patients who underwent primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty between November 2022 and November 2023.

n = 115 controls

Results

extra knee bend gained, well above the meaningful-improvement threshold

MD 8 (95% CI 5.50 to 10.50)

CI excludes the null - significant

More results

No significant differences were observed in WOMAC score, KSS score, complication rate, or 90-day readmission rate.

Taken together, the between-group gains in ROM and 5xSST are clinically meaningful, exceeding commonly cited thresholds (ROM MCID 3.8–6.4°; 5xSST MDC = 1.8 s) for early post-total knee arthroplasty recovery.

“

Conclusion

Home-based wearable neuromuscular electrical stimulation yielded clinically meaningful improvements in early ROM and functional performance (5xSST) after total knee arthroplasty versus standard home rehabilitation; effects on strength and balance were modest.

Application of wearable neuromuscular electrical stimulation in home-based rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty- a retrospective cohort comparison.

Application of wearable neuromuscular electrical stimulation in home-based rehabilitation following total knee arthroplasty- a retrospective cohort comparison.

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