Effectiveness of Correction of Sarcopenia Signs in Elderly People with Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the developed physical therapy program on the parameters of sarcopenia in elderly people with total knee arthroplasty in the remote period after surgery. Materials and methods. During the research, 80 elderly people were examined. The control group consisted of 13 men and 15 women who did not undergo total endoprosthetic surgery of the joints of the lower limbs, without signs of sarcopenia. The comparison group consisted of 11 men and 16 women with total knee arthroplasty and diagnosed sarcopenia with low therapeutic (rehabilitation) compliance with the active rehabilitation intervention recommended based on the results of the initial examination. The main group consisted of 9 men, 16 women with total knee arthroplasty and diagnosed sarcopenia with a high level of therapeutic (rehabilitation) alliance regarding the active rehabilitation intervention recommended by the results of the initial examination. For them, a 6-month long physical therapy program was developed and implemented, which included the following elements: therapeutic exercises, functional training, massage of the lower limbs and lower back, kinesiological taping of the operated limbs; dietary recommendations; patient education. The effectiveness of the program was evaluated by the dynamics of the grip strength indicators, the Edmonton Frail Scale, and the SarQoL questionnaire. Results and discussion. In elderly patients with knee arthroplasty and sarcopenia, low strength (according to the value of grip strength), subjective physical weakness, difficulties in performing activities of daily living (according to the Edmonton Frail Scale questionnaire), were revealed, which led to a deterioration in the quality of life (according to the SarQoL questionnaire). The developed physical therapy program revealed a statistically significantly better effect on strength indicators, the state of physical weakness and quality of life parameters in comparison with the initial indicators for all studied parameters (р <0.05). Low rehabilitation compliance in elderly patients with knee arthroplasty and sarcopenia, despite being aware of the risks of this polymorbidity, was associated with a lack of improvement over a similar follow-up period. Conclusion. Elderly patients with the consequences of total knee arthroplasty and sarcopenia require the development of physical therapy programs taking into account and correcting the specifics of each condition, the presence of physical status disorders and impaired performance of activities of daily life, which increases the quality of life of this contingent of patients