Short-term functional advantages after medial unicompartmental versus total knee arthroplasty

There are many uncertainties about the advantages and disadvantages of using unicompartmental (UKA) versus total knee arthroplasty (TKA) to treat patients with knee osteoarthritis. It is important to have sufficient early postoperative quadriceps strength for long-term, self-reported and gait-related outcomes after knee arthroplasty, but very limited comparative data exist regarding UKA and TKA patients.

This study assessed isometric quadriceps strength, spatio-temporal gait parameters (walking speed, step length, single-limb support phase) and self-reported outcomes (pain, function, stiffness) in 18 TKA and 18 UKA patients six months after surgery, as well as in 18 healthy controls.

Quadriceps strength of TKA, but not of UKA patients, was lower than that of controls (P < 0.05). UKA patients demonstrated better gait function in terms of a longer single-limb support phase than TKA patients (P < 0.01), which agreed with better self-reported pain (P < 0.05), function (P < 0.01) and stiffness (P < 0.05) scores compared to TKA patients.

Six months after surgery, UKA patients showed better short-term quadriceps strength and gait function compared to TKA patients, together with less self-reported knee pain and stiffness. Patients eligible for UKA may experience less functional impairments compared to those who require TKA.