What a knee arthroplasty could mean for one's golf game
Part of the reason for golf's popularity throughout the United States - about 28 million Americans participate in the sport per year - is its status as a low-impact activity that can be enjoyed by people of almost all age categories, particularly older adults. At times, however, degenerative arthritis of the knee can arise in this older age group and prevent enjoyment of golf, prompting some older golfers to undergo total knee replacement, or arthroplasty (TKA). Consequently, roughly 300,000 knee arthroplasties are performed in the U.S. annually, with the intention of increasing physical activity and reducing pain after the procedure. Additionally, golf is often recommended to patients who have TKAs due to its low-impact nature and the fact that it includes walking if the option is selected, which is beneficial to cardiovascular health. Despite these facts, debate still exists over the exact effects of TKA on golfers, and a study was conducted to attempt to clarify the discrepancy.
The study began with a group of 1,630 patients who underwent the same type of primary TKA between 1995-2000, out of which 151 identified themselves as golfers who hadn't experienced other knee surgeries in their past. These 151 patients became the subjects of the study, and surveys were issued to each of them, which asked specific questions related to their golf game such as the amount of time before returning to play, frequency of play, ease of play, enjoyment during play and level of pain before and after surgery.
A total of 93 patients (62%) responded to the survey despite follow-ups to those who wouldn't participate. Of the responsive patients, 57% were able to return to golf within six months after surgery, and only 19% of golfers believed they golfed less after TKA, whereas 81% believed they golfed as much (60%) or more (21%) than before surgery. As a whole, patients reported significantly lower levels of pain playing golf after the surgery, with 13% of golfers claiming they had no pain while golfing before surgery as opposed to 83% with no pain afterwards. Similarly, 94% of participants believed they enjoyed golf as much (54%) or more (40%) than before TKA. Strikingly, in spite of these positive responses, only 14% of golfers walked the course after the surgery as opposed to 28% walking it before.
As suggested by these findings, TKA has a decidedly positive effect on golfers' games and eventually adds to their overall enjoyment of the sport. The major finding that shocked researchers was the 50% decrease in golfers who walked the course after TKA, since the increased mobility and cardiovascular benefits would lead one to believe it would increase. Though some participants mentioned other orthopedic or medical conditions that might prevent them from walking, no correlation was drawn between them and the lack of walkers. There was also no correlation between those who took golf carts and age, sex, high body mass index or advice from a surgeon to not walk the course, leaving this statistic up for speculation. Whether based on societal reasons, laziness or otherwise, it should be the surgeons' duty to educate TKA patients on the health benefits of walking a golf course after surgery. With the proven advantages of TKA on golfers, there's no reason most don't return to a course and resort from a cart to improve health.
-As reported by the Mayo Clinic in The American Journal of Sports Medicine
-By Greg Gargiulo
