Functional disabilities and issues of concern in female Asian patients before TKA

There is much enthusiasm in the current field of TKA to allow high-flexion activities that might be important for Asian patients. We investigated functional disabilities and their perceived importance before surgery in 97 Korean female patients undergoing TKA for advanced osteoarthritis. The most important issues relating to functional disability were difficulty in squatting, leg deformity, difficulty in kneeling, unequal leg length, and limping. The most important issues relating to perceived importance were difficulty in walking, daytime pain, limping, difficulty in climbing stairs, and need for walking aids. The severity of functional disabilities did not correlate with the perceived importance. The most important issues concerning patients were pain immediately after surgery, pain after discharge from the hospital, chance that surgery would not alleviate pain, pain during surgery, and risk of getting AIDS from a transfusion. We found high-flexion activities were rated as the most difficult functions, but they were not perceived as being as important as other items related to pain relief and routine daily activities. The issues related to high-flexion activities were of no more concern than other issues in Korean patients.