Physical activity after total joint replacement: a cross-sectional survey.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Total joint replacement is a common procedure for end-stage arthritis.
• Assessing long-term functional outcomes, particularly physical activity levels, is crucial for patient well-being.
• Previous studies often focus on short-term recovery, with less data on sustained activity post-surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the physical activity levels of patients at least one year after primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
• To correlate activity levels with demographic factors and clinical outcome scores.
• To understand the long-term functional capacity following joint replacement.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey design was employed at a tertiary care arthroplasty center.
• 170 THA and 184 TKA patients, pre-selected for good/excellent outcomes (based on Harris Hip Score/Knee Society Score), were surveyed.
• The University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score was mailed, alongside other clinical outcome measures collected preoperatively and postoperatively.

Main Results:

• Response rates were 70.2% for hip and 81.8% for knee patients.
• Mean postoperative scores at one year included Harris Hip Score (94.8), Oxford Hip Score (16.6), Knee Society clinical score (95.9), Knee Society function score (95.0), and Oxford Knee score (18.2).
• The median UCLA activity score was 6 for both THA and TKA patients, indicating moderate activity levels at a mean follow-up of over 3 years.

Conclusions:

• Post-total joint replacement patients generally maintain moderate physical activity levels.
• A significant portion of patients engage in active or very active lifestyles after hip or knee replacement.
• These findings suggest successful long-term functional recovery and improved quality of life for many joint replacement recipients.