Researchers from the United Kingdom have reported similar improvements in patient-reported outcomes after elective total knee arthroplasty regardless of patient body mass index, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
“Patients achieve equivalent improvements in knee function and general health irrespective of their preoperative BMI,” Baker told ORTHOPEDICS TODAY. “Obese patients gain as much benefit from knee replacement as patients with a ‘normal’ BMI, even if they do not end up at a similar postoperative level. Accordingly, we feel that the obese should not be excluded from the benefit experienced by their fellow patients with lower BMI from undergoing total knee replacement.”