A nested case–control analysis of self-reported physical functioning after total knee replacement surgery in the 45 and Up Study Cohort

OBJECTIVES: The rate of total knee arthroplasty surgery (TKA) is rising in Australia despite varying impacts of TKA on physical function (PF) in population-based studies. There are potentially modifiable risk factors that could enhance PF after TKA, so we evaluated (1) the levels of PF in persons with TKA and the rest of the population, (2) potentially modifiable characteristics of those reporting poor PF after TKA. DESIGN: Nested case–control study. SETTING: Population-based cohort study in New South Wales, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Members of a large (n=267 151) cohort study recruited by a self-completed, mailed questionnaire from 2006 to 2008. After exclusions (for hip arthroplasty, partial TKA, missing important variables and mismatching TKA status between self-reported and hospital record data), this study included 205 148 participants. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES: Primary outcome, Medical Outcomes Study Physical Function scale (MOS-PF). Secondary outcome, dispensings of analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs. RESULTS: We found 2916 TKA participants and 202 232 participants with no TKA (confirmed across datasets). Persons with TKA had a lower MOS-PF (59.9, 95% CI 58.5 to 60.6) than those without TKA (83.8, 95% CI 83.7 to 83.9). In the matched analysis, the TKA group had a lower MOS-PF (59.9, 95% CI 59.9 to 62.4) than those without TKA (68.4, 95% CI 67.8 to 69.0). In persons with TKA, lower levels of MOS-PF were associated with low self-rated health, high psychological distress, comorbidity, greater age, recent treatment for osteoarthritis and use of paracetamol. Women had an MOS-PF that was 11.6 points (95% CI 9.5 to 13.8) lower than men. CONCLUSIONS: Several modifiable risk factors have been identified to influence PF in persons receiving TKA, with notable differences between sexes. The importance of these risk factors should be examined in incident TKA to test if early identification and intervention for individuals can improve outcomes.