A U.S. study shows that most patients who undergo total knee replacement (TKR) can return to work after surgery. The findings were presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS). U.S. researchers analyzed 661 patients aged 18 to 60 years who had undergone TKR 1 to 5 years after surgery, and about three-quarters of the patients were working in the three months prior to surgery. Male patients were significantly more likely than women to return to work after surgery (82.3 percent vs. 73.7 percent). Overall, 91% of patients returned to work after surgery, with 93% successfully returning to their previous position. Ninety-two percent of patients who had sedentary jobs prior to surgery returned to work postoperatively; 79% of patients who had light labor jobs prior to surgery returned to work; and 89%, 88%, and 78% of patients who had moderate, heavy, and very heavy physical jobs prior to surgery returned to work postoperatively, respectively. The authors noted that TKR surgery can return patients to work and has therapeutic value as well as social significance.