Preoperative physical performance predictors of self-reported physical function and quality of life in patients scheduled for total knee arthroplasty.

The study was cross-sectional and used only preoperative data, so it cannot show how total knee replacement changed function or quality of life, or whether the predictors caused worse self-reported outcomes. The sample was small and came from one South Korean tertiary hospital, and it included only patients waiting for a first total knee replacement for end-stage primary knee osteoarthritis, so it may not apply to other populations, revision surgery, or other diagnoses. Most participants were women and older adults, which limits generalization to men or younger patients. The authors' suggestion that preoperative rehabilitation could reduce residual disability was not tested in this study.

Do not conclude that preoperative balance or walking training will improve function after knee replacement. This study measured associations before surgery only, so it cannot show that changing these performance measures changes patient-reported outcomes.