Recovery Courses of Patients Who Return to Work by 3, 6 or 12 Months After Total Knee Arthroplasty.
T H Hylkema, M Stevens, J van Beveren and 5 others
PMID 33515342WHAT IT FOUND
Patients who returned to work by 3 months after knee replacement had significantly less knee pain and stiffness than those who returned later.
Late returners were held back by persistent knee symptoms, not by mental health issues or social factors.
Key findings
01Patients who returned to work by 3 months reported significantly better recovery from general pain, knee-specific pain, and stiffness compared to those who returned at 6 or 12 months.
02Recovery of knee-specific physical functioning was significantly better for those returning by 3 months compared to 12 months, and for 6 months compared to 12 months.
03There were no significant differences between the groups in recovery courses for mental impairments (depression, mental health) or participation restrictions (social and work functioning).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study only included patients who successfully returned to work, excluding those who never returned or remained on sick leave beyond 12 months. RTW status was measured at discrete time points (3, 6, 12 months), so exact return dates between these points are unknown. The sample size (104) limited the ability to adjust for many covariates beyond age, gender, and comorbidity. General pain measures included pain from other body regions, which may confound the relationship with knee-specific recovery.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of University Medical Center Groningen.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that mental health or social factors are the primary drivers of delayed return to work in this population. The study found no significant differences in these areas between early and late returners; the barriers were primarily physical knee symptoms.