A recent study shows that low vitamin D levels were associated with impaired early functional outcomes among patients who had a total knee athroplasty, which replaces organic parts of the knee with artificial parts. This type of surgery is used when patients have a condition called Knee osteoarthritis, which is when the cartilage in the knee begins to degenerate over time. Researchers found overall in their research groups that the vitamin D deficient groups had significantly poorer post-operative outcomes.
Key Takeaways:
- People with Vitamin-D deficiency have poorer knee operating outcomes compared with people with higher efficiency of Vitamin-D
- “These findings indicate that surgeons should confirm vitamin D status before performing TKA and consider preoperative vitamin D supplementation for patients with vitamin D deficiency.”
- ..”large scaled clinical trials are warranted to determine if a causal relationship exists between vitamin D and recovery from TKA.”
“Since vitamin D is important in maintaining bone and muscle health, researchers believe that vitamin D status may play a crucial role in the development and management of knee osteoarthritis. One study suggests that low vitamin D status significantly increases the risk for the progression of knee osteoarthritis. Another study found that vitamin D may improve osteoarthritis pain through its role in muscle strength.”