title: Gait variability before surgery and at discharge in patients who undergo total knee arthroplasty: a cohort study.
abstract: This study aimed to determine gait ability at hospital discharge in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) as an indicator of the risk of falling. Fifty-seven patients undergoing primary TKA for knee osteoarthritis participated in this study. Gait variability measured with accelerometers and physical function including knee range of motion (ROM), quadriceps strength, walking speed, and the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test were evaluated preoperatively and at discharge from the hospital (1 month before and 5 days after surgery). All patients were discharged directly home at 5 days after surgery. Knee flexion of ROM, quadriceps strength, walking speed, and the TUG test results were significantly worse at hospital discharge than preoperatively (p < 0.001). However, gait variability was not significantly different before and after TKA. This result indicated that patients following TKA surgery could walk at hospital discharge as stably as preoperatively regardless of the decrease in physical function, including knee ROM, quadriceps strength, and gait speed after surgery.
authors.affiliation: Anshin Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan; Graduate school of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hiyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Kobegakuin University, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asai
authors.affiliation: Anshin Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.affiliation: Anshin Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maruno
authors.affiliation: Anshin Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nitta
authors.affiliation: Anshin Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyonori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.affiliation: Anshin Hospital, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasunobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.affiliation: Graduate school of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okada
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D018570:Risk Assessment