Published Paper Details:

Background: Osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disorder characterized by degenerative changes in articular cartilage and marginal bony overgrowth. The knees and hips are the most commonly affected joints. Aim: The aim of the study was to identify the functionality of patients after joint replacement surgery. Materials and methods: A quantitative - descriptive design was used. The study was conducted among patients after joint replacement surgery who attended the orthopedic OPD at AIMS Kochi. The sample size was 100 patients after joint replacement surgeries. Validated semi-structured questionnaires, the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS), and the hip injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS) were used to collect the data. Results: The study results showed that the majorities (66%) of the subjects were females, and 58.7% of the subjects were in the above 60 year old age group. The majority (50.8%) of subjects reported a moderate level of functional status after knee replacement, and 46.8% of subjects showed a good level of functional status after hip replacement surgery. There is no association (p value <0.05) between knee and hip scores and demographic variables. Conclusion: The study concludes that the majority of the subjects had a moderate level of functional status after knee replacement surgery, and the hip subjects had a good level of functional status after hip replacement surgery.