Abstract
We recommended an early discharge if rheumatoid patients who had undergone arthroplasty could easily walk around a flat barrier-free corridor as we had a financial motive to increase the circulation rate of patients. Unfortunately, after this discharge, two of our patients fell down in their home, one breaking her leg. So we began to ask our patients to use medical pole walking, which they learned during rehabilitation, after being discharged.
There were two male and six female rheumatoid arthritis patients, with an average of 64. We required them to train in medical pole walking five times a week, 20 minutes a day for about 4–6 weeks until they were discharged. We checked for mobility, physical strength and flexibility.
After one year of medical pole walking, two patients can play golf and one patient can visit many famous places in Japan with her sister without the assistance of a cane.
At the point of 1 year after arthroplasty their time of with medical pole walking and T cane walking or free walking was improved about 5 seconds compared to the point 4 weeks after surgery.
Chair stand test after 1 year medical pole walking exercise was much improved than after 4 weeks after arthroplasty.
