Mobile app to help recovery after hip, knee, or spine surgery
Using a Mobile Application for In-Bed Conditioning Exercises for Orthopedic Postoperative Patients
We will test a mobile app that prompts in-bed conditioning exercises to help people over 65 recover after hip fracture fixation, spinal fusion, or total hip/knee replacement.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 100 (estimated) |
| Ages | 18 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Yale University Academic / other |
| Locations | 1 site (New Haven, Connecticut) |
| Trial ID | NCT06407427 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
This is a prospective, single-arm pilot enrolling older adults recovering from hip fracture fixation, spinal fusion, or total hip/knee arthroplasty at Yale New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael's Campus. Participants who are cognitively able and own a mobile phone will use an app that sets reminders and adjusts in-bed exercise difficulty based on patient feedback. The study will track app usage, patient satisfaction, and physical therapy outcomes and will collect therapist feedback. Initial enrollment is 15 patients with a planned expansion to a randomized controlled trial of 50 participants per arm if pilot results support it.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are patients aged over 65 who are recovering from low-energy hip fracture fixation, total hip or knee arthroplasty, or single-to-multilevel spinal fusion, who are alert, can follow two-step commands, and own a mobile phone.
Not a fit: Patients with severe cognitive impairment, neurologic paralysis, major polytrauma restricting anti-gravity exercises, knee immobilization, or unstable medical conditions requiring ventilatory or high oxygen support are unlikely to benefit or qualify.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the app could improve early mobility, adherence to prescribed exercises, and short-term rehabilitation outcomes after orthopedic surgery.
How similar studies have performed: Prior studies of mobile apps for postoperative or home-based physical therapy have shown modest gains in exercise adherence and function, but high-quality evidence in older postoperative orthopedic populations remains limited.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Provision of signed and dated informed consent form * Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study * English reading/speaking * Are status post low-energy hip fracture, total knee/hip arthroplasty, or single to multilevel spinal fusion without paralysis * Must be able bodied enough to participate in a mobile app tool for physical therapy * Agreement to adhere to Lifestyle Considerations (see section 5.3) throughout study duration\] Exclusion Criteria: * Severe cognitive impairment: Not alert and oriented to person, place, time, and reason for being the hospital; and unable to follow 2 step commands * Severe physical impairment: * Neurologic paralysis * Polytraumas with restrictions incompatible with anti-gravity exercises * Knee immobilization, bed rest * Unstable medical conditions: * On ventilatory support * Utilizing high degrees of oxygen support (continuous BiPAP, high flow nasal cannula, nonrebreather mask, aerosol mask \>3L/min) * Hemodynamic instability requiring pressor medication support (can include those on pressors for elevated mean arterial pressure goals (MAPs)) * Neurologically instable with strokes, hemorrhages, increased intracranial pressures * Open wounds or surgical incisions * Tenuous closed wounds requiring immobilization or bending restrictions * Open wounds that are either packed/dressed or dressed with a wound vacuum * Surgical wounds that are draining fluid or purulence * Vulnerable populations * Incarcerated individuals * Patients without access to a mobile phone with iOS capability
Where this trial is running
New Haven, Connecticut
- Yale New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael's Campus — New Haven, Connecticut, United States (Recruiting)
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Rajiv S Vasudevan, M.D. — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Rajiv S Vasudevan, M.D.
- Email: Rajiv.vasudevan@yale.edu
- Phone: 650-714-7908
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.