The effects of a 3-month controlled hiking programme on the functional abilities of patients following total knee arthroplasty: a prospective, randomized trial

48 patients who had undergone total knee arthroplasty from 1-5 years prior to study enrollment were randomized to either an intervention or control. Patients allocated to the intervention group were to participate in a hiking programme, completing 2-3 sessions per week for 12 weeks. The control group patients were told to continue their normal activities for the study duration. Change in performance on the stair ascent and descent test significantly differed between groups, favouring the hiking programme. No significant differences between groups were observed in results related to patient-reported function. No adverse events or cases of component loosening were documented.