Digital rehab after total hip replacement

Study overview

Rehabilitation is an important part of recovery after total hip replacement, helping patients rebuild mobility, function, and confidence after surgery. But access to in-person rehabilitation is not always consistent, and traditional care models can be difficult to scale.

This study evaluated whether Sword’s home-based digital rehabilitation program could support recovery after total hip replacement. The program used motion trackers, digital biofeedback, and remote clinical monitoring to guide patients through an 8-week rehabilitation plan at home.

The study included 66 patients recovering from total hip arthroplasty: 35 in the digital physical therapy group and 31 in the conventional rehabilitation group. Patients were assessed at baseline, during the program, at the end of the 8-week program, and again 3 and 6 months after surgery. The primary outcome was Timed Up and Go, with additional outcomes including patient-reported hip function and hip range of motion.  

Key findings

Digital rehabilitation improved mobility outcomes

Patients in the digital rehabilitation group had stronger Timed Up and Go outcomes than patients in the conventional rehabilitation group.

In the intention-to-treat analysis, the digital group showed superior Timed Up and Go improvement at all measured time points, including 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after surgery. At 6 months, the between-group difference in median change was 4.79 seconds, favoring the digital rehabilitation group.  

Patient-reported hip outcomes improved more with digital rehabilitation

By 6 months, the digital rehabilitation group showed stronger patient-reported outcomes on the Hip dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for sports and quality of life.

In the per-protocol analysis, the digital group showed superior results across all outcome measures.  

Range of motion improved more in the digital group

At 6 months, the digital rehabilitation group showed stronger results for hip range of motion across all measures except standing flexion.

These findings suggest that digital rehabilitation may support both functional mobility and physical recovery after total hip replacement.  

The digital program had strong retention

The digital rehabilitation group had an 86% retention rate, with 30 of 35 patients completing the program.

Retention is important because home-based rehabilitation depends not only on clinical design, but also on whether patients can complete the program consistently.  

Why this study matters

This study extends Sword’s early evidence in post-surgical rehabilitation from knee replacement to hip replacement.

The findings suggest that a home-based digital program can support meaningful recovery after total hip arthroplasty while reducing dependence on in-person rehabilitation delivery. That matters because demand for total hip replacement is rising, and care models need to help more patients access effective rehabilitation without adding unnecessary burden for clinicians, patients, or health systems.

The study also reinforces a core part of Sword’s clinical model: digital care is not simply self-guided exercise. The program combined patient-facing biofeedback with remote clinical monitoring, allowing the care team to guide and adapt rehabilitation over time.

This study should be understood as a pilot study rather than a large randomized trial. Still, it provides important early evidence that digitally guided home rehabilitation can support recovery after total hip replacement and may outperform conventional in-person home rehabilitation on several clinical outcomes.

Read the fully study