Sporting Activity after High Tibial Osteotomy for the Treatment of Medial Compartment Knee Osteoarthritis

BACKGROUND: Isolated varus osteoarthritis of the knee is a common problem in patients engaged in sports and recreational activities. HYPOTHESIS: Patients will be able to resume sporting activity after high tibial osteotomy. STUDY DESIGN: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. METHODS: A total of 65 patients were surveyed by postal questionnaires to determine their sporting and recreational activities at an average of 36 +/- 8.1 months (range, 14-84) after high tibial osteotomy for the treatment of medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. The clinical evaluation included the Lysholm score, the Tegner activity scale, the Activity Rating Scale, and a visual analog scale for pain. RESULTS: At the time of survey, 90.9% of patients were engaged in sports and recreational activities, compared with 87.9% before surgery (P = .182). The number of different sporting activities declined from 3.5 preoperatively to 3.0 after surgery (P = .178). The sports frequency per week (2.1 sessions) and the activity duration per week (4.1 hours) did not significantly change from preoperative to postoperative (2.3, P = .211; and 4.2 hours, P = .709, respectively). The Lysholm score (42.4) and the visual analog scale (6.9) illustrated significant improvements (69.6, P = .001; and 2.9, P < .001, respectively). No patient returned to competitive sports after surgery, and declines were noted in the Tegner (4.9 +/- 2.3 to 4.3 +/- 1.5, P < .05) and Activity Rating Scale (5.7 +/- 5.2 to 3.3 +/- 4.6, P = .001) scores. After surgery, many patients continued to engage in high-level activities such as downhill skiing or mountain biking. CONCLUSION: High tibial osteotomy for the treatment of medial compartment knee osteoarthritis in the active patient demonstrated favorable clinical results and allowed patients to return to sports and recreational activities similar to the preoperative level.