Background/Purpose: The trend toward greater numbers of working-aged patients choosing TKR has raised concerns that younger patients may receive surgery prematurely. We compared the severity of operative knee pain and functional status in younger versus older TKR patients.

Methods: Patients undergoing primary TKR from 7/1/11 through 3/30/12 were identified from a national research consortium which enrolls patients from 89 surgeons in 27 US states. Patients, surgeons and hospitals submit data including the SF 36 Physical Component Score (PCS), the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the Oswestry Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire. The KOOS data were used to estimate the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC). We compared those <65 to those who were ≥65 years of age using descriptive statistics.

Results: Primary TKR was performed in 570 younger (<65) and 769 older (≥65) patients. Younger patients were less likely to be white (89% vs. 92%, p=0.02), and had a greater body mass index (mean BMI 33.0 vs. 30.7, p<0.0001). Younger patients reported greater pain (48.9 vs. 53.8, p<0.001) and stiffness (38.5 vs. 46.7, p<0.001) in the operative knee joint. Overall function as measured by the WOMAC and SF36 PCS were similar in the two age groups (WOMAC 51.9 vs. 53.8; PCS 32.8 vs. 33.8). Function levels in both groups reflect significant impairment at time of surgery.

Conclusion: At the time of TKR, younger and older patients have similar levels of functional impairment suggesting surgeons use comparable standards for selecting TKR in younger and older adults.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/do-younger-tkr-patients-have-similar-disability-at-time-of-surgery-as-older-adults/