Knee arthroplasty until age 60 : role of sports and other injuries

Abstract

BACKROUND: The primary aim of the study was to investigate how total knee arthroplasty (TKA) patients with underlying injuries differ in injury type and physical activity after the arthroplasty. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to TKA patients, < 60 years at surgery, and knee injury as the cause of knee OA. The final study group consisted of 70 patients. RESULTS: Average age of patients at TKA was 51.8 years (Standard Deviation [SD] 5.2), and at follow-up 57.6 years (SD 6.5). Of the injuries, 26% were sports-related, 29% had occurred at work, 23% in traffic accidents, and 13% during leisure-time (no sports-related). Sports-related injuries had occurred at younger ages than others had (mean 23.4 vs. 35.2 years, P=0.001). Time from injury to arthroplasty was longer in patients with sports-related injuries compared to others (mean 26.6 vs. 17.4 years, P=0.003). At follow-up age-adjusted mean amount of weekly physical activity measured as leisure-time metabolic equivalent (MET) index (MET-hours/week) was higher in patients with sports-related injuries than in patients with other injuries (42.1 vs. 18.5, P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Previous knee injury was the cause of severe knee osteoarthritis and TKA in 20% of the patients 60 years or younger. The time from injury to arthroplasty was longer among patients with sports-related than among those with others. Patients with previous sports-related knee injury were more physically active after arthroplasty than patients with others.