Prospective study of gait function before and 2 years after total knee arthroplasty.

Abstract Purpose To perform a prospective evaluation of gait before and 2years after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and examine the influence of comorbidity and other joint problems on gait characteristics and their improvement after TKA. Methods One hundred and eleven patients scheduled for TKA took part (34 men, 65±10y; 77 women, age 68±9y). Gait velocity, cadence, and ground reaction force parameters were measured before and 2years after surgery. Patients completed a questionnaire to rate their pain and other joint problems. Comorbidity was measured with the American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) score. Results Two years after TKA there were significant improvements (each p absolute values achieved for the gait parameters although their improvement compared with baseline was independent of these factors. Conclusions Comorbidity and other joint problems negatively influenced gait performance. These confounders should be taken into account when setting realistic patient expectations and when interpreting the success of TKA in the individual patient. Improvement in gait is however still possible, within the bounds of concomitant comorbidity.