With an increasing aging population, China has witnessed an increasing incidence of knee osteoarthritis (KOA) year by year. This study compares the outcomes of minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty (MIS-TKA) with that of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA), including postoperative recovery speed, range of motion (ROM), muscle strength, proprioception, and overall function in elderly KOA patients. The aim is to find the optimal surgical strategy to the benefit of postoperative recovery in elderly patients with moderate to severe KOA. The indicators include the first postoperative active flexion to 90°, the first postoperative ambulation without assistance, ROM of the joint, chair rising test (CRT) , and Berg balance scale (BBS) score and Knee Joint Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) of post-op six months. The results show that the first post-op flexion to 90° and first post-op ambulation for the UKA patients are significantly earlier than the MIS-TKA patients. Meanwhile, the CRT and KOOS score at post-op six months in UKA group are significantly lower than those of the MIS-TKA group, while the BBS score is significantly higher than that of the MIS-TKA group. The results suggest that the early post-op angle and muscle strength recovery of the UKA patients is faster than MIS-TKA patients, and the rehabilitation of lower limb muscle strength, proprioceptive balance sense, and overall functional level at post-op six months of the UKA patients are better than those of the MIS-TKA patients.

knee osteoarthritis  /  rehabilitation process  /  knee joint range of motion  /  lower limb muscle strength  /  proprioceptive sensation  /  proprioception minimally invasive total knee arthroplasty  /  unicompartmental knee arthroplasty