RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis of the knee is a degenerative disease which affects the functional status and qua-lity of life of patients. The treatment of choice in advanced stages is total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Although the procedure consistently yields good results, functional limitations may persist after surgery. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of TKA on the practice of sport and how this relates to factors such as demographic and clinical data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional cohort study of operated vs. unoperated patients. A standar-diz-ed instrument for data collection was employed. Information collected comprised personal, socio-demographic and clinical data. Patients were asked about their current practice of physical exercise. We also recorded group-specific data; for the operated group, we recorded data about the surgery and, for the unoperated group, we recorded data about the disease. RESULTS: Patients who had undergone TKA practiced sport twice as much as those who had not been opera-ted on yet (33.8% versus 15.5%). The prevalence of the practice of sports was significantly higher in older patients with lower levels of pain, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: 1.The findings of our study support the conclusion that patients are significantly more active after total knee arthroplasty. 2. Low and medium intensity sports modalities were more prevalent in operated patients. 3.We also identified that active patents tend to be older, with lower level of pain, have better functional class, and a higher level of education.
