[Knee alloplasty and working ability. The significance of knee alloplasty for working ability of patients who were working prior to surgery].

The effect of a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on maintaining or restoring working ability for patients who preoperatively still were in active employment has not previously been reported. Between February 1989 and December 1990 a total of 926 patients (1024 knees) had the same type of TKA (AGC-2000) implanted at 14 different Danish hospitals. The patients were followed prospectively. Sixty-two patients (6.7% of the total material) were preoperatively registered as being still engaged in active employment. Follow-up after three years included 51 of these patients (with 62 knees). Fifty-eight percent were still working after three years compared to 79% after the first postoperative year. Only eight out of the 21 who quit their job during the follow-up period stated knee-trouble as being the direct cause. The most common reason for stopping work was ordinary age-determined pension. We found no correlation between the amount of occupational knee-load and the relative risk of not being able to continue working. Thus, four out of five patients who are employed preoperatively will generally be able to return to the same job within a year after a TKA.