Return to work following knee arthroplasty

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Rehabilitative Medicine
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Knee replacement surgery aims to restore function and quality of life.
• Employment status is a key indicator of functional recovery after surgery.
• Previous studies have not directly compared employment outcomes across different knee replacement types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effect of Patellofemoral replacement (PFR), Unicompartmental replacement (UKR), and Total knee replacement (TKR) on the employment status of patients under 60.
• To evaluate return-to-work rates, time to return to work, and subjective work ability following these procedures.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 109 patients under 60 who underwent PFR, UKR, or TKR.
• Data collected from hospital records and postoperative questionnaires on occupational status.
• Statistical analysis to compare outcomes between the three surgical groups.

Main Results:

• 82% of TKR and UKR patients returned to work, compared to 54% of PFR patients (p=0.047).
• PFR patients took significantly longer to return to work (20 weeks) than UKR (11 weeks) or TKR (12 weeks) patients (p=0.01).
• Subjective work ability was poorer in the PFR group (p=0.049).

Conclusions:

• TKR and UKR are effective in returning patients under 60 to active employment, typically within 3 months.
• PFR is associated with lower return-to-work rates, longer recovery times, and diminished subjective work capacity compared to UKR and TKR.
• This study highlights the differential impact of knee replacement types on occupational outcomes in younger patients.