May 2023 CME Activity:Clinical Interpretability of Quadriceps Strength and Gait Speed Performance in Total Knee Arthroplasty A Longitudinal Study-Clinical Interpretability of Quadriceps Strength and Gait Speed Performance in Total Knee Arthroplasty

Clinical Interpretability of Quadriceps Strength and Gait Speed Performance in Total Knee Arthroplasty

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This article reports on a longitudinal study examining the clinical interpretability of quadriceps strength and gait speed performance in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The study included 2624 patients who participated in physical assessments of quadriceps strength and gait speed for 4 months after surgery. Self-reported walking and stair climbing function were measured at the 6-month time point. The results showed that all physical measures improved nonlinearly over time, with greater quadriceps strength and gait speed associated with higher self-reported walking and stair climbing function. Steeper gains in quadriceps strength and gait speed were also associated with higher levels of function. The study suggests that by stratifying trajectory curves across clinically interpretable functional levels, the continuous-scaled measures of quadriceps strength and gait speed can be better understood and used in shared decision making and expectation setting for patients undergoing TKA. The authors provide trajectory curves and an interactive website for exploring the data in more detail. However, the study has some limitations, such as its retrospective nature, data from a single institution, and a relatively short follow-up duration. Further research is needed to validate these findings and apply them to different populations.

Keywords

longitudinal study

clinical interpretability

quadriceps strength

gait speed

total knee arthroplasty

TKA

physical assessments

self-reported walking

stair climbing function

trajectory curves