This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Study shows stable knees post-TKA led to significant improvement in functional outcomes
Patients who experienced a stable knee after total knee arthroplasty had a significant improvement in functional outcome, according to study results.
Researchers collected 2-year postoperative data for all primary unilateral constrained total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) performed between January 2004 and March 2008. The researchers selected a total of 1,500 patients who underwent 1,507 TKAs and divided them into one of three groups based on total medial-lateral laxity. Knee Society Function Score (KSS), Oxford Knee Score and SF-36 quality-of-life score were used to assess functional outcome.
As knee medial-lateral laxity increased, the mean KSS showed a progressive decrease in volume among all three groups, with patients in group one reporting significantly higher scores, according to the researchers.
According to a health outcome analysis, group one experienced significantly better outcomes for nearly all aspects of physical health except for role functioning, although they had a higher score. The researchers also found better physical function, pain and general health among patients in group one, as well as significantly improved vitality and mental health. Study results showed no significant difference was apparent among the groups for Oxford Knee Score, even though patients in group one reported a better mean score.
Regardless of medial-lateral laxity, most patients reported kneeling as the most common difficulty faced post-TKA. Significantly higher range of motion was found among patients in group three, although all groups had a good mean range of motion greater than 110°, according to the researchers. During the 2-year follow-up, no patient underwent revision arthroplasty for instability.
Disclosures: Yeo is a paid consultant for DePuy. Chin is a paid consultant for Stryker and Zimmer. Lo is a paid consultant for Zimmer.