IMPACT OF BODY MASS INDEX ON FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AFTER TOTAL KNEE REPLACEMENT.

The aim of this study was to determine whether body mass index and age had an impact on functional recovery two years after total knee replacement. The research was conducted at the Lovran Hospital of Orthopedics and Traumatology, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia. Study sample included patients who underwent total knee replacement surgery with median parapatellar approach in 2019. Morphological measurements, knee range of motion and WOMAC questionnaire score were examined before and two years after surgery. Descriptive statistics was used for gender, age and body mass index, and inferential statistics was employed to check the correlation of recovery measured by changes in the WOMAC score and change in the range of motion results with age and body mass index. According to study results, male and female patients did not differ in body mass index (t=1.184; p>0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation of functional recovery of the patients with age (p=0.556), or between body mass index and differences in the range of motion (p=0.927) from flexion to extension. The study indicated that knee arthroplasty and thus the impact on functional recovery had an equally good effect regardless of age. In patients who had flexion contracture before surgery, the surgery improved motion amplitude.