Return to sports and recreational activities after patellofemoral arthroplasty: A systematic review.

Return to sports and recreational activities after patellofemoral arthroplasty: A systematic review.

Patellofemoral arthroplasty (PFA) is an established treatment for isolated patellofemoral osteoarthritis. However, evidence regarding postoperative activity levels and return to sport (RTS) remains limited./r/nThe objective of this study was to evaluate RTS and recreational activity rates following PFA, identify factors influencing these outcomes, and report associated complications./r/nA systematic search was conducted in June 2024 across PubMed, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, and Scopus databases, following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Search terms included variations of “patellofemoral arthroplasty,” “physical activity,” and “return to sport.” Studies were included if they reported RTS outcomes following PFA. Studies lacking RTS data or isolated PFA results were excluded. From 492 records, 7 studies met the inclusion criteria./r/nSeven studies (2 prospective and 5 retrospective) comprising 265 patients (281 knees; 64.6% women; mean age: 48.9 years) were included, with a mean follow-up of up to 5.3 years. RTS definitions varied, with reported rates ranging from 64.7% to 91%. Low-impact sports were more commonly resumed, and 58.6% of patients returned to sport within six months. Among those who returned, 74.8% reached or exceeded their preoperative activity level. Postoperative pain improved (visual analog scale scores decreased from 6.3 to 2.7), although up to 38.6% of patients reported pain limiting activity. Conversion to total knee arthroplasty occurred in 6.3% to 13% of cases, and reoperation rates ranged from 10.4% to 25%. Limitations included inconsistent RTS definitions, heterogeneous outcome reporting, and use of non-standardized questionnaires./r/nRTS and recreational activity after PFA can be resumed by most patients, especially low-impact activities. Pain management should be actively addressed. High-quality studies with standardized RTS definitions are needed to evaluate the long-term impact of activity on implant survival./r/nRTS after PFA is safe and achievable. A personalized approach is essential to optimize RTS and manage patient expectations./r/nIII.