• Tomohiro Oka, Osamu Wada, and Kiyonori Mizuno.
• Department of Rehabilitation Science, Osaka Health Science University, 1-9-27, Tenma, Kita-ku, Osaka, 530-0043, Japan. tomohiro1986640@yahoo.co.jp.
• Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2024 Jan 1; 144 (1): 369375369-375.

Introduction/ObjectivesNo consensus has been reached on which is better in terms of functional outcomes between simultaneous bilateral and unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). As patient characteristics, such as age, sex, and body mass index, have significant effects on functional outcomes after TKA, these factors should be matched before comparisons are made. This study aimed to compare time courses in functional outcomes between simultaneous bilateral TKA and unilateral TKA after matching the patient characteristics.Materials And MethodsIn this retrospective study, the clinical records of patients admitted to a hospital were reviewed. Of 425 patients, 43 underwent simultaneous bilateral TKA, whereas 382 underwent unilateral TKA. Propensity score matching was performed for age, sex, and body mass index between simultaneous bilateral and unilateral TKA patients. Therapists measured pain intensity, knee extensor strength, and knee-specific functional outcomes by using the new knee society score, including total score, symptoms, patient satisfaction, patient expectations, and functional activities preoperatively and 3 and 12 months postoperatively. Two-way repeated analysis of variance was performed to compare the time courses in functional outcomes between simultaneous bilateral and unilateral TKA.ResultsAfter propensity score matching, 40 patients each for underwent bilateral TKA and unilateral TKA were selected. Knee extensor strength in simultaneous bilateral TKA patients was significantly lower than that in unilateral TKA patients at 3 months postoperatively (p = 0.04). A significant interaction was observed between the effects of time and group on knee extensor strength (F [1, 78] = 3.338; interaction: p = 0.042; η2 = 0.052). No significant interactions were found among the other variables measured.ConclusionsPatients who underwent simultaneous bilateral TKA should undergo postoperative rehabilitation focused on alleviating delayed recovery in knee extensor strength during the acute phase.© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

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