Thermo-mobility coupling: continuous knee temperature-step interaction patterns predict functional recovery after...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical engineering
• Orthopedic surgery
• Rehabilitation science

Background:

• Wearable sensors are increasingly used to monitor mobility post-total knee arthroplasty (TKA).
• Assessing local joint inflammation and its relationship with activity remains a challenge.
• The predictive value of combined temperature and activity monitoring for TKA recovery is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if early thermo-mobility coupling (TMC) predicts functional recovery 12 weeks after primary TKA.
• TMC is defined as the temporal relationship between peri-patellar skin temperature and step-derived mobility.
• This study aims to identify prognostic markers for TKA rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study involving 142 TKA patients.
• Continuous monitoring of peri-patellar skin temperature and thigh activity for 6 weeks post-surgery.
• Analysis of TMC indices, including cross-correlation and temperature load index (TLI), linked to functional outcomes (KOOS-ADL, ROM, TUG, opioid cessation).

Main Results:

• Maladaptive TMC in early postoperative weeks (2-4) was linked to worse functional outcomes at 12 weeks.
• Patients with more adaptive TMC showed significantly higher rates of clinically important improvement in the KOOS-ADL score.
• Higher TMC was associated with poorer KOOS-ADL scores, reduced knee flexion, slower TUG, and delayed opioid cessation.

Conclusions:

• Continuous thermo-mobility coupling (TMC) provides prognostic information for early functional recovery after TKA.
• TMC patterns can help identify patients at risk of maladaptive recovery trajectories.
• Further research is needed to validate TMC's predictive power for long-term functional outcomes.