Usefulness of the Korean Knee Score for Evaluation of the Results of Total Knee Arthroplasty

PURPOSE: The Korean Knee score (KKS) was designed to reflect the floor-sitting lifestyle that necessitates high knee flexion. The purpose of this study is to assess whether the KKS reflects the floor-sitting lifestyle more accurately than the previously developed Knee Society clinical rating system. In addition, the presence of ceiling effects was compared between the two rating systems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-one consecutive patients (120 knees) who were assessed regularly after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on an outpatient basis between January 2012 and December 2012 were enrolled. All patients were asked to complete a questionnaire to assess the Knee Society Knee score (KSKS), Knee Society Function score (KSFS), and KKS. RESULTS: At the final follow-up, the mean KSKS, KSFS, and KKS were 91.2, 86.0, and 70.1, respectively, and the scores were similar between the > or =125degrees maximum flexion group and 125degrees maximum flexion group (15.13 vs. 11.24, p=0.001). The number of cases with the highest possible score was 24 (20%) for the KSKS and 47 (39%) for the KSFS, whereas none of the cases obtained the highest possible KKS. According to the standard deviation method, more substantial ceiling effects were present in the KSKS (83 cases, 69.1%) and KSFS (67 cases, 55.8%) than in the KKS (23 cases, 19.2%). CONCLUSIONS: Although, the KKS was effective in reducing the ceiling effect, it demonstrated limited improvement in assessing the ability to perform high knee flexion after TKA. However, the 'floor life' subdomain of KSS appeared to be valid for evaluating high flexion of the knee.

What Symptoms Are More Important for Korean Patients in Knee Osteoarthritis? Development and Validation of the Korean Knee Score

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a novel knee evaluation instrument, the Korean Knee Score (KKS), to reflect a floor life style with high knee flexion. In addition, we aimed to assess the importance of high knee flexion activity for Korean patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The KKS was developed following the guidelines of the International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. During development step, generated items were asked to 50 patients to determine importance and obtain an impact score for each item. A total of 634 patients were included in the validation survey. RESULTS: Forty one items were generated and impact scores of each item about floor life style were higher than other items. The KKS exhibited excellent reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.931) and strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.973). The content validity was good, with no ceiling or floor effect. The construct, convergent, and divergent validities were good. Moderate responsiveness was evident, with a standardized response mean of 0.74. CONCLUSIONS: The KKS, has good validity, reliability, and responsiveness. The KKS includes items for floor life style, which are thought more important for Korean patients. The KKS can be used as a good evaluation questionnaire for Korean knee osteoarthritis patients.