Influence of total hip arthroplasty and physicians advices in the sports activity performed after the surgery

Background and objectives: There are no randomized prospective studies that evaluate sports activity after total hip arthroplasty (THA). The objective of this study is to assess the level and type of sports activity in patients undergoing THA and to assess the recommendations given by physicians.

Materials and methods: We performed a descriptive study that analyzes 46 patients (the average age was 41 years, range 37 - 48) under 50 years of age who underwent THA (58 hips) in our center. The average follow-up was 7.5 (1 - 11) years. Age, sex, sports activity according to the UCLA scale, sports activities practiced before and after the intervention, complications and recommendations given by doctors were evaluated.

Results: The average time to resume sport activity after the surgery was 5 (3-10) months. There were no differences in the UCLA scale before and after the operation (P> 0.05). The most practiced sport before the surgery was swimming (17%). The 31% of patients did not receive advice from their physician and the 65.2% were dissuaded from playing sports after ATC. The recommended sports were swimming (44%) and the static bicycle (17.5%), correlating with the most practiced sports after the operation.

Conclusion: The patients modified their sport activity after having undergone a total hip arthroplasty. The surgery and the physician's advice were the ones that influenced the choice of the sports activity performed after being operated on.

CITATION  Rev Esp Cir Ortop Traumatol (Engl Ed). Jul-Aug 2020;64(4):251-257. doi: 10.1016/j.recot.2020.02.004.  Epub 2020 May 4.