Peak, cumulative and rate of medial and lateral compartment joint loading during gait following total knee arthroplasty.

The analysis used only the first 30 participants from a parent trial who had usable gait data, so it may not represent all adults after TKA. Participants had to walk unassisted for more than 25 feet, have less than 5/10 contralateral knee pain, have body mass index no greater than 40 kg/m2, and have no neurological or other walking-limiting conditions, so results may not apply to more impaired or heavier patients. The study was cross-sectional and measured loading once at 6 months; it did not follow patients to see whether these loading differences cause contralateral osteoarthritis progression or implant failure. Joint loads were estimated with musculoskeletal modeling rather than instrumented implants, so they are model estimates. The sample may have been underpowered for all outcomes, despite effect sizes being reported. Daily step volume and activity intensity were not recorded, so total daily loading exposure is unknown. Lab gait was a small snapshot in a constrained environment.

The supplied text lists research support from NIH, Extramural. No author conflict-of-interest declaration is included.

Do not conclude that the non-surgical knee will develop osteoarthritis or that the surgical implant will fail. This study measured estimated knee loads once at 6 months after TKA and did not follow patients for long-term joint damage or revision. It also did not test any treatment.