Feasibility and applicability of locomotive syndrome risk test in elderly patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty

Objectives The concept of locomotive syndrome (LS) and its evaluation method, the LS risk test, have been applied in an integrated manner to capture the decline in mobility resulting from musculoskeletal disorders. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in the elderly with knee osteoarthritis, a common disorder found in LS. Methods A total of 111 patients were registered prior to TKA and postoperatively followed up for 1 year. Three components of the LS risk test (the two-step test, stand-up test, and Geriatric Locomotive Function Scale-25) were assessed pre- and postoperatively. Results After surgery, all three components of the test showed significant improvements from the baseline. The ratio of Stage 3 LS patients (progressed stage of decrease in mobility) reduced from 82.3% to 33.9% postoperatively. There was no significant difference in the degree of change in the scores between the younger (60-74 years) and older (>= 75 years) age groups. Conclusions We found that TKA has a major impact in preventing the progression of LS in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The LS risk test is a feasible tool for the longitudinal evaluation of patients with musculoskeletal diseases of varying severity and with multiple symptoms.