Patient often ask, “what will my activity be like after knee replacement?”
We know that overall sports activity decreases severely with the development of osteoarthritis. The return of function after a joint replacement is highly dependent on age, patients weight, medical comorbidities. Studies show that 40% of joint replacement surgeries are performed in patients 65 years of age or younger. These patients are most likely to benefit in terms of activity level. Bottom line, everyone will improve after hip replacement and knee replacement surgery, however not everyone will return to playing sports.
Patients often ask, “what will my restrictions be after hip replacement surgery?”
Many TJA (total joint Arthroplasty) patients who wish to resume sports activity may theoretically place their reconstruction under increased biomechanical stress and risk for early wear or failure. Recommendations for postoperative patient activity following TJA have historically largely been surgeon-dependent and with mixed data on the role of activity level and implant survivorship. I tell my patients that they are free to participate in most sporty activities. When possible, I recommend avoiding high impact activities, such as box jumps, marathons, heavy lifting. Replacing high impact activities with low impact activities such as swimming, walking or light jogging, biking, elliptical etc. Some people have a sport they are addicted to. If the sport is high impact, these patients will likely require at minimum a plastic exchange in the next 15-20 years. In general, modern day arthroplasty polyethylene liner wear is very slow. Some studies show that with low impact, a joint replacement will wear 1 mm every 10 years in lab settings. Some TJA patients will require a full revision, if the parts have worn down to metal. To avoid a full joint replacement revision, I recommend a regular follow up every 2-4 years with an xray in the office. This allows to catch an abnormal wear before it becomes symptomatic, avoiding a full joint replacement revision.
