What Is the Role of Biological Sex in the Rehabilitation Path of Elderly Subjects After Total Knee Replacement? A Secondary Analysis of Kinematic and Clinical Data.

Background: The rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery is central; however, the role of sex on the rehabilitation path of subjects after TKA has never been investigated. This study aims to investigate the impact of sex on the improvement rates of clinical outcome scales and gait...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 97 - 104
Main Authors: Pullara, Rosa, Buraschi, Riccardo, Grazioli, Marcello, Vicini, Simona, Pedersini, Paolo, Gobbo, Massimiliano, Pollet, Joel
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Apr-Jun2026
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:Background: The rehabilitation after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) surgery is central; however, the role of sex on the rehabilitation path of subjects after TKA has never been investigated. This study aims to investigate the impact of sex on the improvement rates of clinical outcome scales and gait parameters. Methods: This secondary analysis included subjects after TKA and considered clinical outcome scales, gait spatio-temporal, and summary measures assessed at admission (T0) and discharge (T1). Nonparametric analysis was performed to calculate improvement rates (Δ) and the effect of sex on the considered outcomes. Results: The study included 48 subjects (26 females and 22 males) in the analysis. None of the considered parameters produced significant differences, and the regression analysis also showed no differences; only pain produced a result close to significance (P = .06). Discussion: This study did not show significant differences related to biological sex in the rehabilitation path after TKA. The acute setting of the intervention may have minimized these differences, and a longer follow-up could yield different results. Pain can be influenced by sex, although further studies with more extended follow-ups and larger sample sizes are needed to confirm this hypothesis.