Total knee arthroplasty in active golfers.

The results of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients who actively exercise have not been previously studied. Golf is a frequent form of exercise for the older population in whom TKAs are usually performed. Members of The Knee Society permit their patients with TKA to play golf, if they desire to do so. They recommend waiting approximately 18 weeks after surgery before beginning to play. Most members of The Knee Society stated that they have no preferences as to the model of knee arthroplasties in golfers, although 35.2% did state that they would use a posterior-cruciate sparing model. After TKA, active golfers in the authors' study (83) invariably experienced a significant rise in their handicap (mean +4.6 strokes) and also a decrease in the length of their drives. Most (86.7%) use a cart while playing, but still a small percentage (15.7%) will have a mild ache in the knee while playing and a larger percentage (34.9%) will have a mild ache in the knee after playing. In addition, golfers with left TKAs have more difficulty with pain during and after play (P < .01) than do golfers with right TKAs. Radiolucencies were also common in our study, occurring in 53.7% of all knees studied and 79.1% of cemented TKAs.