Comparing return to sport activities after short metaphyseal femoral arthroplasty with resurfacing and big femoral head arthroplasties

Time for return to sport following total hip arthroplasty: a meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) is being increasingly undertaken in younger and more active patients, with many of these patients wanting to return to sport (RTS) after surgery. However, the percentage of patients RTS and time at which they are able to get back to sport following surgery remains unknown. The objective of this meta-analysis was to determine the time patients RTS after THA.

METHODS

A search was performed on PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for trials on THA and RTS, in the English language, published from the inception of the database to October 2020. All clinical trials reporting on to RTS following THA were included. Data relating to patient demographics, methodological quality, RTS, clinical outcomes and complications were recorded. The PRISMA guidelines were used to undertake this study.

RESULTS

The initial literature search identified 1720 studies. Of these, 11 studies with 2297 patients matched the inclusion criteria. 3 studies with 154 patients demonstrated an overall pooled proportion of 40.0% (95% CI, 32.5-47.9%) of patients RTS between 2 and 3 months after surgery. 4 studies with 242 patients demonstrated an overall pooled proportion of 76.9% (95% CI, 71.5-82.0) of patients RTS by 6 months after surgery. Pooled proportion analysis from 7 trials with 560 patients demonstrated 93.9% (95% CI, 82.7-99.5%) of patients RTS between 6 and 12 months after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS

Pooled proportion analysis showed increasingly more patients were able to RTS after THA over the first 1 year after surgery. There remains marked inter and intra-study variations in time for RTS but the pooled analysis shows that over 90% of patients were able to RTS at 6-12 months after THA. These finding will enable more informed discussions between patients and healthcare professionals about time for RTS following THA.

A meta-analysis assessing time for return to sport following hip resurfacing

BACKGROUND

Hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) is associated with excellent functional outcomes and return to pre-disease level of activity. The time for return to sport (RTS) following HRA remains unknown. The aim of this meta-analysis was to establish the time for RTS following HRA.

METHODS

A search was performed on PUBMED, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library for trials on HRA and RTS, in the English language, published from the inception of the database to October 2020. In addition, a manual search was performed of relevant sports medicine and orthopaedic journals, and the bibliographies reviewed for eligible trials. All clinical trials reporting on time to RTS following HRA were included. Data relating to patient demographics, methodological quality, operation type, RTS, clinical outcomes, and complications were recorded by two independent reviewers. The PRISMA guidelines for reporting meta-analyses was used to undertake this study.

RESULTS

The initial literature search identified 1559 studies and nine further studies were found. Of these, 11 studies with a total of 659 patients matched the inclusion criteria. Two studies involving a total of 94 patients demonstrated an overall pooled proportion of 91.8% (95% CI 71.8-100) of patients RTS by three months post-operatively. Four studies including a total of 265 patients determined a pooled proportion of 96.8% (95% CI 91.0-99.7) of patients able to RTS by the 6-month post-operative stage. Pooled proportion analysis from all 11 studies comprising 659 patients showed 90.9% (95% CI 82.2-96.9) of patients were able to RTS by final follow up of 3 years.

CONCLUSION

Pooled proportion analysis showed an increasing number of patients were able to RTS after HRA over the first one year after surgery. There remains marked inter and intra-study variations in time for RTS but the pooled analysis shows that over 80% of patients were able to RTS at 6 to 12 months after HRA. The findings of this meta-analysis will enable more informed discussions between patients and healthcare professionals about time for RTS following HRA.

Overstretching Expectations May Endanger the Success of the “Millennium Surgery”

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is an extremely successful treatment strategy. Patient expectations, however, have increased; if not properly guided by surgeons, at present, patients expect next to pain-free restoration of the joint and a fast return to work and sports. While the revision rates after THA also increased in younger patients, knowledge on musculoskeletal loads still remains sparse, and the current recommendations on postoperative rehabilitation are based on expert opinions only. The aim of this study was to unravel biomechanical contact conditions in “working age” (<60 years, 53.5 ± 3.0 years) and “retirement age” (>60 years, 67.7 ± 8.6 years) patients during activities recommended post-THA. We hypothesized that working age patients would show substantially increased hip contact loads compared to older patients. The in vivo joint contact force (Fres) and torsion torque (Mtors), reflecting the main contact load situation, experienced during activities of daily living and sports activities were measured in a unique group of 16 patients with instrumented THA. We summarized patient activities and sports recommendations after THA mentioned within the literature using PubMed (without claim of completeness). The measurements showed that younger working age patients experienced significant (p = 0.050) increased Mtors (21.52 ± 9.11 Nm) than older retirement age patients (13.99 ± 7.89 Nm) by walking. Bowling, as a recommended low-impact sport, was associated with Fres of up to 5436 N and Mtors of up to 108 Nm in the working age group, which were higher than the Fres (5276 N) and Mtors (71 Nm) during high-impact soccer. Based on our results, age was proven to be a discriminator in joint loading, with working age patients presenting with increased loads compared to retirement age patients, already during daily activities. The current patient recommendations have led to further increased joint loadings. If THA cannot be delayed in a patient, we propose counselling patients on a carefully considered return to sports, focusing on low-impact activities, as indicated hereby. The findings from this work illustrate the need to provide critical feedback to patient expectations when returning to work and sports activities. Patients returning to more intensive sports activities should be carefully monitored and advised to avoid as much overloading as possible.

Amount and type of physical activity and sports from one year forward after hip or knee arthroplasty-A systematic review

INTRODUCTION

After rehabilitation following total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA), patients are advised to participate in physical activity (PA) and sports. However, profound insight into whether people adopt a physically active lifestyle is lacking. Aim is to gain insight into the performed amount and type of PA (including sports) and time spent sedentarily by persons after THA/TKA.

METHODS

A systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42020178556). Pubmed, Cinahl, EMBASE and PsycInfo were systematically searched for articles reporting on amount of PA, and on the kind of activities performed between January 1995-January 2021. Quality of the articles was assessed with the adapted tool from Borghouts et al.

RESULTS

The search retrieved 5029 articles, leading to inclusion of 125 articles reporting data of 123 groups; 53 articles reported on subjects post-THA, 16 on post-hip-resurfacing arthroplasty, 40 on post-TKA, 15 on post-unicompartimental knee arthroplasty and 12 on a mix of arthroplasty types. With respect to quality assessment, 14 articles (11%) met three or fewer criteria, 29 (24%) met four, 32 (26%) met five, 42 (34%) met six, and 6 (5%) met seven out of the eight criteria. PA levels were comparable for THA and TKA, showing a low to moderately active population. Time spent was mostly of low intensity. Roughly 50% of -subjects met health-enhancing PA guidelines. They spent the largest part of their day sedentarily. Sports participation was relatively high (rates above 70%). Most participation was in low-impact sports at a recreational level. Roughly speaking, participants were engaged in sports 3 hours/week, consisting of about three 1-hour sessions.

CONCLUSION

Activity levels seem to be low; less than half of them seemed to perform the advised amount of PA following health-enhancing guidelines Sports participation levels were high. However, many articles were unclear about the definition of sports participation, which could have led to overestimation.

Return to Sports and Activity After Total Ankle Arthroplasty and Arthrodesis: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

There is no consensus regarding participation in sports and recreational activities following total ankle replacement (TAR) and ankle arthrodesis (AA). This systematic review summarizes the evidence on return to sports and activity after operative management with either TAR or AA for ankle osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS

A literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases was performed. Risk of bias of included studies was assessed using Methodological Index for Non-Randomized Studies (MINORS) criteria. Included studies reported sport and activity outcomes in patients undergoing TAR and AA, with primary outcomes being the percentage of sports participation and level of sports participation.

RESULTS

Twelve studies met inclusion criteria for analysis. There were 1270 ankle procedures, of which 923 TAR and 347 AA were performed. The mean reported patient age was 59.2 years and the mean BMI was 28 kg/m². The mean follow-up was 43 months. Fifty-four percent of patients were active in sports preoperatively compared with 63.7% postoperatively. The mean preoperative activity participation rate was 41% in the TAR cohort, but it improved to 59% after TAR, whereas the preoperative activity participation rate of 73% was similar to the postoperative rate of 70% in the AA cohort. The most common sports in the TAR and AA groups were swimming, hiking, cycling, and skiing.

CONCLUSION

Participation in sports activity was nearly 10% improved after operative management of ankle OA with TAR and remains high after AA. The existing literature demonstrated a large improvement in pre- to postoperative activity levels after TAR, with minimal change in activity after AA; however, AA patients were more active at baseline. The most frequent postoperative sports activities after operative management of ankle OA were swimming, hiking, cycling, and skiing. Participation in high-impact sports such as tennis, soccer, and running was consistently limited after surgery. This review of the literature will allow patients and foot and ankle surgeons to set evidence-based goals and establish realistic expectations for postoperative physical activity after TAR and AA.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, systematic review.

The Effect of Total Hip Arthroplasty on Sports and Work Participation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a successful procedure to treat end-stage hip osteoarthritis. The procedure is increasingly performed in adults of working age, who often wish to return to sports (RTS) and return to work (RTW). However, a systematic overview of the evidence on RTS and RTW after THA is lacking.

Objectives

Our aim was to systematically review (1) the extent to which patients RTS and RTW after THA, including (2) the time to RTS and RTW.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE and Embase from inception until October 2017. Two authors screened and extracted the data, including study information, patient demographics, rehabilitation protocols and pre- and postoperative sports and work participation. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa scale. Data on pre- and postoperative sports and work participation were pooled using descriptive statistics.

Results

A total of 37 studies were included, of which seven were prospective studies and 30 were retrospective studies. Methodological quality was high in 11 studies, moderate in 16 studies, and low in ten studies. RTS was reported in 14 studies. Mean RTS was 104% to the pre-surgery level and 82% to the pre-symptomatic sports level. Time to RTS varied from 16 to 28 weeks. RTW was reported in 23 studies; the mean was 69%. Time to RTW varied from 1 to 17 weeks.

Conclusion

A great majority of patients RTS and RTW after THA within a timeframe of 28 and 17 weeks, respectively. For the increasingly younger THA population, this is valuable information that can be used in the preoperative shared decision-making process.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s40279-018-0924-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Activity levels following hip resurfacing arthroplasty: A tool to help manage patient expectations

Background

When compared to total hip arthroplasty (THA), hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) is usually undertaken in younger, more active patients with hip osteoarthritis. Previous research has noted that patients are able to return to pre-operative activity levels, with many even increasing their activity post HRA, but patterns in post-operative recovery have been less well investigated.

Materials and Methodology

A randomised controlled trial dataset was analysed to explore activity levels attained after HRA. Data was collected on 80 male patients. The primary outcome of focus was the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Activity Index, with follow-up at 6 weeks, 16 weeks and 1 year.

Results

Mean UCLA at baseline was 5.4 (SD; 2.1) which, after an initial fall to 4.7 (SD; 1.6, p = 0.008) at 6 weeks, increased at both the 16 week and 1 year follow ups (p < 0.001), with a final mean activity index of 7.2 (SD; 1.7). Mode UCLA at 1 year was 7 or 8, representing patients who are regularly taking part in activities such as cycling and golf.

Conclusion

Following HRA, patients can achieve significant improvements in activity measured using the UCLA Activity Index. Activity levels have been shown to initially decrease following HRA, with improvement throughout the first postoperative year. The results of this study provide clinicians with a simple tool to help patients visualise their post-operative recovery. This may have implications when managing patient expectations of post-operative activity level in both HRA and large head THA populations.

Can Patients Practice Strenuous Sports After Uncemented Ceramic-on-Ceramic Total Hip Arthroplasty?

Background:

Patients are often concerned about returning to sports after total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Purpose:

To (1) evaluate sports participation and motivation rates in a large cohort of patients who underwent uncemented THA with ceramic-on-ceramic bearings and (2) determine whether patients’ participation was associated with their motivation for each sport, preoperative demographics, or patient-reported outcomes.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

We surveyed 1310 patients (aged <75 years) who underwent uncemented ceramic-on-ceramic THA and collected levels of motivation and participation for 22 different sports as well as patient-reported outcome measure scores. A total of 1042 patients (1206 hips) returned questionnaires; the mean age at index surgery was 60.6 ± 8.8 years.

Results:

At least 51% of patients participated regularly or frequently in at least 1 light sport, 73% in at least 1 moderate sport, and 20% in at least 1 strenuous sport. Sports participation was strongly correlated with motivation (r = 0.97, P < .001) but not with level of discomfort (r = 0.22, P = .292). Participation in strenuous sports was significantly associated with age, body mass index, and sex. There were significant differences among patients who practiced various categories of sports as determined using the Oxford Hip Score (P = .008), but not with regard to the Forgotten Joint Score (P = .054).

Conclusion:

Only 20% of patients practiced strenuous sports regularly or frequently after THA, regardless of pain or discomfort. Participation in sports after THA is strongly correlated with motivation but not with level of discomfort. Longer term studies with a greater focus on complications and survival are necessary to determine whether high-impact sports compromise patient safety or implant longevity.