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Higher BMI may result in better post-THA physical function
Body mass index may be a predictor of physical function after total hip arthroplasty, researchers discovered from their recent cross-over study.
Investigators from Spain studied 63 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) to identify improvements in their general health based on the SF-12 Health Survey questionnaire. Patients with a body mass index (BMI) >28 kg/m2 showed improved physical and function results based on those components of the SF-12 that were more substantial than in patients with THA and more normal weight. This was also the case, the investigators noted in the study, when they controlled for such predictors of THA outcome as age, gender, physical activity or level of education.
Following stepwise regression analyses, the researchers found BMI and the WOMAC general index scores “were independent and significant predictors of physical function and together explained 34.2% of the variance in physical function scores,” according to the abstract.