Background: Improvement in quality of life (QoL) in patients who went through total hip arthroplasty (THA) is well studied, while the number of studies on improvement in actual daily activity in THA patients is limited. The purpose of the study was (1) to describe the pre- to postoperative changes in physical activity (PA) levels, (2) compare PA levels with healthy controls, and (3) examine the association between PA levels and QoL in Japanese women undergoing THA.
Methods: PA was measured by pedometers, and QoL was assessed by the Short-Form 8 and the Oxford Hip Scale questionnaires. Consecutive patients undergoing primary THA at Saga University Hospital, Japan, in 2008 were eligible for the study. QoL and pedometers with accelerometers were mailed to THA patients 1 month pre-THA and 6 and 12 months post-THA. The control group completed a single assessment of questionnaires and pedometers.
Results: Thirty-eight THA patients completed the study. Preoperatively, the patient group had significantly lower QoL scores than the comparison group. However, these differences disappeared by 12 months post-THA. When improvement of PA function in THA patients was compared with healthy controls, light PA was already 78 % of the healthy controls at the pre-THA period and improved to 90 % at 12 months. In contrast, moderate PA was 27 % of the controls and rose to 77 % by 12 months, and vigorous PA remained low throughout the study period. PA was correlated with QoL scores.
Conclusion: The study shows the relative recovery process of PA indicators in THA patients and the contribution of PA to the improvement of QoL.