At a recent course, sponsored by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons on knee replacement, the faculty discussed recommendations for activity following knee replacement surgery. There was uniform agreement that low impact-type activity was recommended, which included walking, swimming, golfing, elliptical trainers, treadmills, among others. There was also agreement that low impact activity such as doubles tennis, hiking, cycling and other activity were beneficial for artificial joints. The faculty agreed that high impact activity such as running and jumping was counter productive and could lead to premature failure of the joint replacement. It is our job, as orthopedic surgeons, to make sure that we educate our patients with regard to expectations, survivorship of joint replacement, and potential complications. It is unrealistic to think that an artificial joint will work as well, with regard to durability, as a normal human joint. By maintaining proper body weight and strength and avoiding excessive impact activity, joint replacement should function quite well. It is the physician’s responsibility to implant the implants in the proper position and encourage postoperative rehabilitation. It is the patient’s responsibility to make sure that they maintain their weight at a reasonable level, engage in reasonable activity, and treat their joint replacement with respect.
