Factors influencing life-space mobility change after total knee arthroplasty in patients with severe knee osteoarthritis.
Takashi Tobinaga, Shigeru Obayashi, Ryuhei Miyamoto and 7 others
PMID 31871372WHAT IT FOUND
Three months after total knee arthroplasty, life-space mobility scores rose from 59.6 to 72.8 on a 120-point scale.
Narrower baseline life space, operative-side quadriceps strength, and walking or stair confidence were associated with life-space scores.
Key findings
01Life-space mobility scores increased from 59.6 to 72.8 points three months after total knee arthroplasty.
02A lower baseline life-space score was associated with a greater change in life-space score.
03Operative-side knee extension strength and self-efficacy for walking or stair climbing were associated with life-space scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
There was no control group, so the observed changes cannot be separated from surgery, the standard postoperative physical therapy pathway, or other concurrent care. Patients were followed only for three months, so long-term life-space changes are unknown. Social and physical environment factors and comorbidities were not fully examined, even though these may influence life-space mobility. Participants had to be able to visit the outpatient clinic and did not have conditions affecting walking, so the results may not apply to people who are more severely limited. The factors identified were associations from correlation and regression, not evidence that strengthening or self-efficacy interventions caused life-space improvement.
Declared interests
No funding was received for this study, and none of the authors reported a conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the three-month improvement or the correlations as proof that quadriceps strengthening or self-efficacy work caused better life-space mobility. The study had no control group and only followed patients for three months.