Background/Purpose: A growing numbers of younger adults report knee pain consistent with OA, although parallel analyses of knee x-rays show no increase in classic radiographic signs of OA. To evaluate whether surgeons are performing TKR at an earlier stage in the condition, we compared pre-operative demographic and symptom profiles from 2 national cohorts of TKR patients, one from 2011-2012 and another from 2000-2004.

Methods: Following informed consent, we collected comprehensive demographic, comorbidity, and patient-reported pain and physical function from a national sample of 2011-12 TKR patients, across 27 states with 89 surgeons. Comparable data collected by one implant manufacturer between 2000-2004 from 136 surgeons in 31 states were analyzed. Descriptive statistics compared the demographic and symptom profiles of the two cohorts.

Results: There were minimal differences between the two cohorts in terms of age (2011-12: 66.5 years, vs. 2000/4: 67.6 years; p0.05). The more recent patient cohort consisted of fewer females (57%) compared to the earlier group (66%). Pre-operative physical function scores (SF36/PCS) were 3 points higher in 2011-12 than 2000-04 (33.6±0.3 vs. 30.3±0.1; p<0.0000). The 2000-2004 cohort (n=7686) had a mean BMI of 32 vs 31.7 for the 2011-12 cohort (n=1362). When compared to the national PCS norm of 50 (SD=10), TKR patients from both time periods reported pre-operative function levels almost 2 standard deviations below the national norm.

Conclusion: The profile of primary TKR patients changed between 2000-04, and 2011-12. Today, patients are younger and have a higher pre-operative physical function scores. They continue to report significant levels of disability with mean pre-TKR PCS significantly lower than average OA patients.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/has-the-level-of-disability-at-time-of-tkr-changed-over-the-past-10-years-results-from-two-national-cohorts/