A Playtime and Handicap Analysis of 143 Regular Golfers After Total Knee Arthroplasty at Minimum 2-Year Follow-Up

Regular and competitive golfers are concerned by the ability to recover their previous activity golfing after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The purpose of this study was to conduct targeted analysis of the effect of unilateral total knee replacement on the playtime and golf level in a population of experienced golfers, with a minimum follow-up of two years.

Questionnaires were distributed to the French Golf Federation’s golfing members. Those who were older than 50 years and had undergone a unilateral primary TKA provided information on the timing of return to play, mode of movement on the course, pain during golfing, physical activity via University of California Los Angeles scale, level of golf and weekly playing time, before and after surgery. In addition, surgeons’ recommendations and level of arthroplasty satisfaction were collected.

Questionnaires were completed by 290 competitive golfers, of which 143 were eligible for inclusion. The average time to return to the 18-hole course was 3.7 months. Participants surveyed at a minimum 2 years after TKA played at a higher level than before surgery with a handicap improvement of 0.85 and increased their average weekly playtime from 8.9 to 10.2 hours. Knee pain while playing golf decreased after surgery (6.13 to 1.27 on the visual analog scale) and the University of California Los Angeles score improved (7.02 to 7.85).

This study demonstrated the ability of regular golfers to return to golf within six months after unilateral total knee replacement, with increasing level of golf and weekly playtime and better golfing comfort.