Infographic: Total hip arthroplasty in golfers.

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is a clinically beneficial and cost-effective treatment for patients with end-stage hip arthritis. Among patients undergoing lower limb arthroplasty, golf is a popular pursuit. Hip arthritis can limit patients’ ability to play golf, and this can adversely affect quality of life (QoL). However, the effect of being a golfer on functional outcomes and QoL following THA versus a non-golfer are unclear. Furthermore, there is a paucity of studies exploring factors associated with return to golf following THA.

Robinson et al set out to assess the hip-specific functional outcomes, satisfaction, and improvements in QoL following THA in golfers versus non-golfers. Additionally, the study aimed to determine the rate of return to golf and influencing factors. Overall, 328 patients undergoing primary THA over a one-year period at a single institute were included. Of these, 120 patients (39%) were male and 188 (61%) were female, with an overall mean age of 67.8 years (standard deviation (SD) 11.6). There were 44 golfers (14%) within this group.

This study found that golfers had significantly higher hip function than non-golfers at one year following surgery (Oxford Hip Score of 43.1 (SD 5.2) vs 39.5 (SD 7.7); p < 0.001, independent-samples t-test). In addition, golfers had a significantly greater EuroQol visual analogue scale score (82.6 (SD 15.2) vs 77.1 (SD 20.6); p = 0.039, independent-samples t-test) indicating a higher perceived QoL following surgery. Of the 44 golfers, 32 (72.7%) returned to golf, and within this group, 27 (84.4%) were satisfied with their involvement in golf since returning from their surgery. Finally, this study found that male sex (p = 0.001, chi-squared test), those with greater preoperative QoL (p = 0.039, independent-samples t-test) or greater preoperative hip function (p = 0.026, independent-samples t-test) are more likely to return to golf. These findings can assist surgeons and patients in shared decision-making for THA.