Activity level is a powerful predictor for outcomes in orthopedic procedures such as anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, articular cartilage repair and total joint arthroplasty, according to a literature review in the July issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
According to the review, reliable activity measurement tools now exist for the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle. These tools can be directly applied as outcome measures that determine whether interventions restored function.
Other literature review highlights, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, includes:
• Shoulder: The strongest predictors for failure in rotator cuff tears were patient expectations on the efficacy of physical therapy and baseline activity level.
• Hip: Preoperative activity levels, age, male gender and lower body mass index were predictors of higher activity level at one and five years following total hip replacement surgery.
• Knee: Higher baseline activity, lower baseline BMI and higher level of athletic competition were associated with higher activity levels two years after ACL reconstruction.
"In orthopedics, we want to restore function to take away pain and to help patients return to activity," said lead study author Robert H. Brophy, MD. "We're still learning about how to best use, quantify and measure activity levels to optimize prognostics and outcomes."
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