The purpose of the present cross-sectional study was to analyze how knee replacement affects performance in activities of daily living (ADL), mobility, and pain in older patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Knee osteoarthritis patients aged ≥75 years scheduled for knee replacement (Group 0, n=68), or having undergone knee replacement one (Group 1, n=71) or two years (Group 2, n=75) earlier, were sent a questionnaire asking about ADL performance, mobility, degree of pain, use of analgesics, and patient's perception of the outcome.
More patients having had knee replacement than those waiting for surgery reported they were able to perform ADLs without difficulty, the exception being bathing and dressing/undressing. They also had a better performance in mobility measures (ability to move indoors and use stairs, walking distance). After adjustment for age, gender, and anesthesiological risk score, the patients in Groups 1 and 2 continued to show better performance than the patients in Group 0 in rising from chair, heavy housework, moving indoors, using stairs, and walking 400 m. Ninety-three percent of patients in Group 0 but only 23% and 34% in Groups 1 and 2 used analgesics for knee pain. The majority of the patients in Groups 1 and 2 were satisfied with the outcome and estimated that their health and mobility had improved after surgery.
Knee osteoarthritis patients aged ≥75 years, having undergone knee replacement, have not only less pain and better mobility but also superior ADL performance than patients scheduled for surgery.