Predictors of Walking Ability Recovery after Total Knee Arthroplasty / The Japanese Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine

ABSTRACT

We investigated the recovery time of walking ability after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and patient's background : age at the operation time, gender, BMI, the affected joints (single or bilateral), assessment criteria for the evaluation of osteoarthritis of the knee (JOA score), and surgical approach. We examined predictors of walking ability recovery time after TKA. There were 88 knees operated on in 67 patients (7 men and 60 women) using TKA in our institution. The causes of disease were osteoarthritis (OA) in 80 knees and spontenous osteonecrosis (ON) in 8 knees. We investigated the period required to be able to walk using parallel bars, to walk with a T cane and to go up and down stairs with a handrail. The period required to be able to walk with parallel bars averaged 5.7 days post operation ; to walk with a T cane averaged 16.1 days, and to go up and down stairs required an average of 22.9 days. In conclusion, the factors that significantly influenced the postoperative walking ability recovery period were the affected joints (single or bilateral), age at operation, surgical approach and preoperative JOA score.