title: A correlation study of objective functionality and WOMAC in total knee arthroplasty.
abstract: Function studies after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) generally use either self-reported instruments or objective quantitative measurements of walking activities, but it is unclear how objective factors influence self-reports. This retrospective multicenter study assessed the impact of objective variables on subjective self-reported functional outcome after TKA in 128 patients at a mean of 41 months after TKA. Self-reported disability was measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster University (WOMAC) scale, and the quality of walking and representative daily activities were determined objectively by the DynaPort knee test. Objective assessment was found to be a poor predictor of WOMAC abnormality, with correlations of 0.343, 0.246, and 0.269 with WOMAC function, stiffness, and pain, respectively. The results of WOMAC are thus strongly influenced by factors other than quantitative parameters of the lower extremity. These findings provide support for including an objective assessment of activities of daily living together with a subjective self-report.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Physical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. erik.witvrouw@rug.ac.be
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Witvrouw
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bellemans
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rock
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van Lummel
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Van Der Slikke
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Verdonk
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012647:Self-Assessment; D013223:Statistics as Topic / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome