Return to work after primary total hip or knee arthroplasty. First French study. Retrospective study of 241 cases.

Introduction: The quality and reliability of the results of primary total hip or knee arthroplasty (THA, TKA) have allowed indications to be extended to younger, working-age patients, raising the issue of return to work. This question has never been specifically addressed in THA and TKA in a French population. We therefore conducted a retrospective study to determine: (1) the rates and intervals of return to work, and (2) factors affecting return to work and reasons for non-return.

Hypothesis: Rates and intervals of return to work are comparable to those in Western countries as a whole: 1.1-10.5 weeks in THA and 8-12 weeks in TKA.

Material And Method: A single-center retrospective study included patients aged under 65 at surgery, between 2009 and 2013. A questionnaire collected population and occupational data. The patients' occupational situation was collected at a minimum 1 year postoperatively. During the study period, 289 TKAs or THAs were performed; 241 patients were recontacted, 144 of whom had been working at the time of surgery: 72 THAs and 72 TKAs. The sex-ratio was well balanced: 69 males, 75 females. Mean age was 55.8±8 years (range, 18.6-65.7 years). The mean time from surgery to data collection was 34.5 months (95% CI, 32.2-36.8 months).

Results: In all, 86 patients (57.6%) returned to work, at a mean 124 days (range, 15-540 days; 95% CI, 102.8-144.4 days). At 3 months, 55.4% of patients (n=46) had returned to work, and 97.6% (n=81) at 12 months. In most cases, patients returned to the same occupation.

Conclusion: The study hypothesis was not confirmed. French primary THA or TKA patients returned to work later and less frequently than in other Western countries.

Level Of Evidence: IV, retrospective study without control group.