Objective. Quadriceps strength deficits and gait speed limitations remain significant issues after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), yet detailed longitudinal data characterizing these measures and their predictors are limited. This study aimed to describe the time course of knee range of motion, quadriceps strength, and gait speed post-TKA, and to assess whether sex and body mass index (BMI) influenced the time recovery of these measures. Methods. A total of 1,025 patients (mean 6 SD age 67 6 8 years) undergoing primary TKA participated. At 4-, 8-, 12-, and 16-weeks postsurgery, knee range of motion, quadriceps strength, and gait speed were quantified. The associations of the knee and gait measures profile over time with sex and BMI were assessed using generalized least squares modeling. Results. The various knee and gait measures improved nonlinearly over time, with substantial improvements observed in the first 8-10 weeks postsurgery. Sex and BMI influenced the time course of quadriceps strength (P < 0.001 for all interactions): improvements in quadriceps strength over time were slower in women and in patients with higher BMI. Post-TKA gait speed was consistently lower in women than in men, while BMI was negatively and nonlinearly related to gait speed. Conclusion. Although the various knee and gait measures improved over time, women and patients with higher BMI had poorer functional outcomes. The present study highlights the need for a mechanistic understanding of the results and targeted management of these patient subgroups.

Rehabilitation attendance post-TKA is associated with an increase in self-report physical function. Among patients who attended rehabilitation, a modest dose-response relationship was observed between the number of sessions and functional outcomes.

Study Design Prospective cohort study. Background Optimal management of patients with low back pain (LBP) relies on accurate prognosis of future clinical outcomes. The STarT Back Screening Tool (SBT), a prognostic index developed and validated in the primary care setting, has 3 scoring measures: SBT overall, psychosocial, and categorical scores. Objective Our study aimed to compare the predictive validity of 3 SBT measures with future pain intensity in patients receiving physical therapy for LBP. Methods Two hundred seven patients with LBP receiving physical therapy completed the SBT at initial (baseline) evaluation and were evaluated 12 weeks later for their pain intensity. Multivariable proportional odds regression was used to evaluate the associations of the various SBT measures with pain intensity at follow-up. Results Adjusting for covariates, all SBT measures were positively and significantly associated with the odds of greater pain intensity at follow-up evaluation (P<.01). Adding SBT psychosocial scores to a covariate-only model improved its predictive accuracy (concordance statistic increase, 0.03; 95% confidence interval: 0.01, 0.09), while improvements in prediction were smaller or negligible with the SBT overall and categorical scores (concordance statistic increase, 0.02 and 0.007, respectively). In mutually adjusted analyses, SBT psychosocial scores added incremental predictive value over SBT overall scores in predicting future pain intensity (P = .03). Conclusion Among the 3 SBT measures, the SBT psychosocial subscale was a significant predictor of future pain intensity in patients with LBP and had comparable, if not better, prognostic significance compared with the SBT overall score. Level of Evidence Prognosis, level 4. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2017;47(4):261-267. Epub 3 Mar 2017. doi:10.2519/jospt.2017.7284.

we have provided reference percentile values for knee flexion range-of-motion, quadriceps strength and gait speed recovery post-TKA. Such information may assist rehabilitation professionals in interpreting outcomes and quantifying deviations from the expected recovery pattern.