Nonoperative management of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) through multidisciplinary programs may delay or reduce the need for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, avoidance of surgery may not represent success for the patient.
A cohort of 120 patients with knee OA managed with at least 6 months of supervised nonoperative treatment coordinated through the Joint Clinic were reviewed at 5 years. Outcomes including Oxford knee score (OKS), Short Form 12 (SF-12), and SF-6D and other measures including analgesia use, global change, and perception of need for surgery were collected and compared with those from the cohort who had undergone TKA.
Seventy (62.5%) surviving patients were still being managed nonoperatively. There was no significant change in any outcome score (OKS, SF-12 physical component score, SF-12 mental component score, SF-6D) (P = .26 to .84). Forty-two patients had undergone TKA with mean time to surgery 29.0 months (range, 9-69 months). In this group, the mean OKS fell from 17.9 at baseline to 10.3 (range, 3-21) preoperatively (P < .0001) and at 5 years there was a significant improvement from baseline in OKS, SF-12 physical component score, and SF-6D scores (P < .0001). All outcome scores and change in scores were significantly higher for the surgical group (all P < .001).
Although a high proportion of patients with knee OA have avoided surgery at 5 years, their outcomes show no improvement from baseline and are poorer than those who have undergone TKA. Avoidance of surgery should not necessarily be regarded as an indicator of success of nonoperative treatment for the patient.