Activity levels and functional outcomes of young patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty

The activity demands of young patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) have not been clearly defined. University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) activity score, Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS), Short Form-12 version 2 (SF-12v2), and Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) questionnaires were administered to 70 young patients who had undergone THA (young THA group; ie, ≤30 years old), 158 general patients who had undergone THA (general THA group; ie, ≥31 years old), and 106 young, comorbidity-matched patients who had not undergone arthroplasty and had no significant hip disease (nonarthroplasty group). Mean postoperative UCLA activity scores were similar among groups (young THA group, 6.5; general THA group, 6.4; nonarthroplasty group, 6.6) before and after adjustment for comorbidity, sex, and race (P=.62 and P=.47, respectively). Adjusted analyses also found a negative association between postoperative activity and increases in comorbidity and female sex (P<.001). Patients in the young THA group reported higher expectations of postoperative activity (7.7) than those in the general THA group (7.1; P=.02). Postoperative HOOS results showed greater hip symptoms (P=.003) and poorer hip-related quality of life (P<.001) in the young THA group. Patient groups had similar postoperative SF-12v2 physical health scores (P=.31), although mental health scores were significantly higher in the general THA group (P<.001). The interesting finding of lower postoperative expectations, greater hip-related quality of life, and better mental health scores in the general THA group may indicate a need for better management of expectations in young patients undergoing THA, including a discussion of realistic gains in activity and potential comorbidity-related restrictions.