Dr. Przkora Receives Grant from CTSI

Drs. Rene Przkora and Hari Parvataneni received a grant from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute at the University of Florida.

This multidisciplinary team from the Departments of Anesthesiology and Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, in cooperation with the Institute on Aging (Dr. Buford), will study a novel exercise method to optimize the functional outcome for older patients undergoing total knee joint replacement surgery. Older adults are the fastest-growing patient population, and suffer disproportionally from knee osteoarthritis that leads to functional decline and loss of quality of life. Knee joint replacement surgery is frequently the only option to potentially prevent permanent disability and loss of independence.

Their study is aimed at assessing the feasibility of a new exercise method to improve the results of this surgery and to facilitate the return of our patients to an independent lifestyle. If successful, our exercise protocol can be easily transferred to patients who are at risk of functional decline due to their medical condition.