THA increases physical activity level in men, women regardless of age

CHICAGO — Swiss researchers found that total hip arthroplasty increases physical activity in patients and that physical activity persists 5 years and 10 years postoperatively.

“Primary total hip arthroplasty substantially and durably improves physical activity in men and women in all age categories,” Anne Lübbeke-Wolff, MD, DSc, lead study author, stated in a presentation at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting, here. “In patients less than 55 years, postoperative activity levels remained level just before [osteoarthritis] OA symptom onset.”

In her prospective cohort of THA patients recorded since 1996 from the Geneva Hip Arthroplasty Registry, Lübbeke-Wolff and colleagues found that before the onset of OA symptoms, the mean UCLA score was 6.9. The score significantly decreased preoperatively to 3.5. At 5-year follow-up, the score significantly increased to 5.7 and to 5.5 at 10 years. Obese patients’ activity levels tended to be lower over time compared to nonobese patients, she said.

Anne Lübbeke-Wolff

Regarding active lifestyle, Lübbeke-Wolff noted that during the past decade, the proportion of people with a perceived active lifestyle who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) increased by 10%. She and colleagues followed the prevalence of active lifestyles in patients with a total of 2,995 THAs studied both before and after surgery. While 33% of patients were active from 2000-2003, she said in 2008-2012, that percentage increased to 47%.

Reference:

Lübbeke-Wolff A. Paper #44. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; March 19-23, 2013; Chicago.

Disclosure: Lübbeke-Wolff has no relevant financial disclosures.