2012 Volume 31 Issue 1 Pages 49-54
Objective: One of the concerns of patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is whether they can continue with agricultural or sporting activities after surgery; however, few studies have been published assessing these activities after TKA. In the current study, agricultural and sport participation were analyzed using a self-administered questionnaire in 100 patients who had undergone TKA.
Patients and Methods: A total of 100 patients were enrolled in this study, comprising 92 women and 8 men with a mean age of 73.4 years (range, 56-86 years) with a mean follow-up of 5.2 years (range 1-17 years). Eighty-five patients were diagnosed with osteoarthritis and 15 patients were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. All 100 patients were given a self-administered questionnaire about their agricultural and sporting activities after TKA was performed.
Results: Fifty-one patients engaged in agricultural activities before surgery, and 44 of 51 patients continued these after TKA. The return to agriculture rate was 86.2%: 34 patients returned to work in truck farms, 18 patients continued as fruit farmers, and 9 patients continued with rice cultivation. Before knee disturbance, 30 of 100 patients participated in some sports, and 15 of 30 patients returned to sport after TKA. The return to sport rate was 50% in our series.
Conclusion: Of the patients who engaged in the relevant activity before TKA, 86.2% continued agricultural activities and 50% returned to participate in sporting activities after TKA in the current study. These data indicate that the clinical results of TKA are not adversely affected by lower-impact activities. However, we recognized that further study is necessary regarding agricultural and sporting activities after TKA.
