Balance 1 year after TKA: correlation with clinical variables

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Knee osteoarthritis (OA) significantly impairs balance and proprioception, increasing fall risk.
• Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a common surgical intervention for advanced knee OA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the changes in balance and posture control one year after TKA in knee OA patients.
• To investigate the relationship between balance improvements and clinical variables post-TKA.

Main Methods:

• Prospective observational study of 44 patients before and one year after TKA.
• Balance assessed via computerized posturography: weight bearing, modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction on Balance (mCTSIB), and sit-to-stand tests.
• Clinical variables included age, BMI, pain, range of motion, muscle strength, gait velocity, and Knee Society score.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in mCTSIB test performance (foam surface, open/closed eyes, composite value) were observed one year post-TKA, with moderate to high effect sizes.
• A mild negative correlation was found between patient age and mCTSIB composite value changes.
• No significant correlations were found between posturography results and other clinical variables.

Conclusions:

• Computerized posturography demonstrates that TKA surgery leads to improved balance and posture control in knee OA patients.
• Balance improvements are most notable in tasks requiring sensory integration, such as the mCTSIB test.
• Age is a factor influencing the degree of balance recovery following TKA.