Changes in daily physical activity before and after total hip arthroplasty. A pilot study using accelerometry.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a common procedure for hip osteoarthritis.
• Assessing post-operative physical activity objectively is crucial for understanding functional recovery.
• Previous studies often rely on subjective patient-reported outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To objectively evaluate changes in physical activity levels and energy expenditure before and after THA.
• To correlate objective physical activity measures with clinical outcomes like the Harris Hip Score (HHS).

Main Methods:

• Prospective, single-centre follow-up study involving 12 female patients.
• Home-based accelerometry used for objective assessment of physical activity one month pre- and six months post-THA.
• Analysis included daily physical activity amount, energy expenditure, activity intensity, and HHS scores.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant increase in the total energy cost of physical activity (DA) was observed post-THA (P=0.02).
• The energy cost of moderate/vigorous activity significantly increased after surgery (P=0.008).
• Harris Hip Score improved significantly from 53.9±15.3 pre-operatively to 78.1±12.2 post-operatively (P=0.03).

Conclusions:

• Patients undergoing THA demonstrate a significant increase in the energy expenditure of moderate to vigorous physical activities post-surgery.
• While overall activity time may not significantly increase, the intensity of performed activities improves.
• Objective accelerometry data correlates with improved clinical outcomes, supporting enhanced physical capacity after THA.