Occupational capacity after hip replacement.

Working capacity and dependence on the social welfare system were analyzed in 387 patients 5 years after hip replacement. Significant pre-operative factors were age, etiology of the hip disease and walking ability, and at the follow-up age, walking ability, pain and subjective experience of satisfaction with the operation. Among patients working pre-operatively, 92 per cent kept on working, and 70 per cent of patients on sick-leave went back to work. Only 9 per cent of patients working or sick-listed pre-operatively became invalidity pensioners, but none who were pensioners pre-operatively went back to work.