Osteoarthritis of the hip, one of the most frequent civilization diseases, causes not only a large physical and psychological stress for the patients but also generates increasing costs of treatment each year. The aim of our study was to evaluate the patients' functioning in the period of 3-12 years after the Zweymüller total hip arthroplasty.
323 patients, aged 27-83 years, after the primary Zweymüller cementless total hip arthroplasty, operated in the Orthopedics and Traumatology Department of Poznań University of Medical Sciences. The evaluation was based on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) questionnaire supported with additional questions concerning the weight, height, dwelling place, education level, occupational activity, additional diseases and other joints problems.
The Zweymüller cementless total hip arthroplasty is characterized by a good stability in 97.8% of patients during the 3-12 years of postoperational period. Additional problems associated with any unoperated lower limb joint almost always result in the increase of the WOMAC score. A positive correlation was also noticed between the level of education and the occupational activity after the treatment in patients with similar WOMAC score. No influence of overweight on the postoperative activity occured. Moreover our study revealed a negative correlation between BMI (Body Mass Index--range up to 40) and the WOMAC form.
The functional evaluation of patients after total hip arthroplasty should consider information about other lower limbs joints problems for better objectivity. It should be mentioned that the occupational activity correlates positively with the level of patients education. The obesity cannot be the criteria disqualifying from the operation as it does not influence the activity after the hip replacement.