Does intensive physical activity increase the risk of revision surgery after hip replacement?
New research has shown that intensive, high impact exercise after a hip replacement can increase the risk for follow up (revision) surgery to fix further complications.
This means clinicians can now say with more certainty that patients should avoid high impact physical activity and stick to more gradual strength building techniques.
MetaData:
Funding Info (Grant Code). 22090
Institution: MRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Health and Work
Link to actual paper: Intensive physical activity following total hip arthroplasty increased the revision risk after 15 years: a cohort study of 973 patients from the Geneva Arthroplasty Register - PMC (nih.gov)
VA Contacts: Anna Durrans, Emma Tomlinson
What problem were the researchers trying to solve?
One of the highest priorities for people under 65 who have a total hip replacement is getting back to the levels of physical activity they could do before their surgery.
Surgeons are usually cautious about how much, and what type of physical activity a person should do. While they know physical activity is key during rehabilitation to restrengthen muscles around joints, there have been few studies on whether high impact sports put people at risk of harming their replaced joint. When damage occurs, revision surgery is needed.
What did the researchers find out?
The researchers therefore collected data from 973 people with data stretching up to 20 years, from a databank called the Geneva Hip Arthroplasty Registry. They looked at data from those with a high UCLA score, which means they do a high amount of physical activity.
The researchers found that there was a 2-fold increase in revision surgeries done in people belonging to the high and moderate activity group compared to the low activity group.
Furthermore, there were high rates of implant revision surgery in people who reported more intense physical activity types. Across all levels of activity, the amount of time when revision surgery was most likely needed was at around 15 years.
How does this benefit people with arthritis?
The research stresses the importance of getting the level of physical activity right after joint replacement surgery is key. While many under 65s want to return to their usual, sometimes high, level of physical activity, done the wrong way poses risks.
The researchers say that while moderate to high physical activity raises the risk of revision surgery, it is still important to gradually build up activity. They conclude that managing expectations for post-operative physical activity is very important.
Future research may determine what the ideal intensity of exercise is, particularly for those wanting to get back to a pre-operative level quickly.
Find out more
For further information please contact:
Anna Durrans, Research Programme Manager (a.durrans@versusarthritis .org)
Emma Tomlinson, Health Intelligence Portfolio Officer (e.tomlinson@versusarthritis.org)