Return to Sport After Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Counseling the Patient on Resuming an Active Lifestyle.

Abstract

Purposeof review: The purpose of this review is to summarize the available literature on the epidemiology, biomechanics, clinical outcomes, and complications of return to sport after TJA, as well as provide guidelines for patients' safe return to athletic activity.

Recent findings: As volume and indications for total joint arthroplasty (TJA) expand, arthroplasty candidates today are demographically younger, more physically active, and have higher expectations for postoperative function. Many TJA patients wish to resume sports activity that may theoretically place their reconstruction under more biomechanical stress and risk for early wear or failure. Recommendations for postoperative patient activity following TJA have historically largely been surgeon-dependent and in the context of evolving prosthetic design and surgical techniques. We endorse a three-tiered framework for return to sporting activities: (1) low-impact sports are generally recommended, (2) intermediate-impact sports are generally recommended with experience, and (3) high-impact sports are generally not recommended though activity-specific joint decisions between patient and surgeon can be made.