Evaluating the Quality and Reliability of Total Knee Arthroplasty Rehabilitation Exercises on the Social Media Platform TikTok

Background

The utilization of social media for health-related purposes has surged, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. TikTok, a short-form video platform, has seen substantial growth, becoming a prominent medium for health information dissemination. However, the lack of regulation poses challenges in evaluating the validity of TikTok content.

Methods

This cross-sectional study assesses TikTok videos related to total knee arthroplasty rehabilitation exercises. Search terms identified 84 videos, with 64 meeting the inclusion criteria. Engagement metrics and quality scores were analyzed, utilizing the DISCERN tool and the Total Knee Replacement Exercises Education Score.

Results

The analyzed videos accumulated nearly 6 million views, with a median of 10,293.5 (interquartile range = 4139.3-26,100.0). Health-care professionals contributed 48% of the content. Despite higher engagement metrics for health-care professional videos, the overall quality, as indicated by DISCERN and Total Knee Replacement Exercises Education scores, remained poor. No videos achieved an “excellent” rating, with the majority categorized as “poor.”

Conclusions

This study underscores TikTok’s substantial role in total knee arthroplasty rehabilitation information dissemination but reveals a critical deficit in content quality and reliability. Health-care professionals marginally outperformed general users but displayed overall inadequacy. The study emphasizes the necessity for improving the quality of health-related content on emerging social media platforms, especially within the realm of orthopaedic surgery.

Level of Evidence

Level III, Cross-sectional study.