Comparative outcomes of total knee arthroplasty on physically active and passive patients.

ABSTRACT

The physical activity of the population is decreasing due to an increase in sedentary lifestyles. The aim of the study was to analyze midterm results of total knee arthroplasty according to the lifelong physical activity of the patients. We evaluated 37 patients (23 women, 14 men), with age average 70.0 years (range 53-87). We divided the patients according to lifelong physical activity. The active group included 11 patients with any history of physical activity and the passive included 26 patients with a sedentary lifestyle. No intergroup differences existed in age, gender or preoperative Knee Score. The active group had a higher postoperative Knee Score 90.5 (+/- 5.0) compared to the passive 87.4 (+/- 5.0). Pain after arthroplasty was experienced significantly more in the active group. Between the active 87.3 (+/- 9.3) and passive 67.5 (+/- 16.7) groups we measured a statistically significant difference in the improvement of Functional Score - ability to walk and climb stairs. Sedentary lifestyle affects the clinical outcomes of total knee arthroplasty. This data is demonstrating that physical activity ameliorate functional postoperative results.