The main reason to consider a knee replacement is to treat chronic knee pain. However, many patients continue to have chronic knee pain even after joint replacement surgery.
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Why do many people have knee pain after a knee replacement?
The main reason to consider a knee replacement is to treat chronic knee pain. However, many patients continue to have chronic knee pain even after joint replacement surgery. You may think that a knee replacement is your only option: you've tried everything and now you want something that will take away the pain for good. Once the worn joint is replaced, you will be relieved of the pain. That is not a realistic expectation.
What the research shows
Recent research looked at the percentage of patients with chronic knee pain after a total knee arthroplasty. A group of patients received a questionnaire after one year. Of the 272 patients who responded, almost 40% still had knee pain.
Other research reports chronic pain rates of 44% after a total knee arthroplasty and 27% after a total hip arthroplasty.
A prosthesis does not automatically mean fewer painkillers
A joint prosthesis is no guarantee that you will be able to stop taking painkillers. In France, doctors asked 2,000 patients after a knee replacement about their medication use. You would expect that fewer painkillers are needed: after all, the worn-out knee has been replaced. However, 47% of patients still required anti-inflammatories in the year after surgery. 9% received a new prescription for nerve painkillers and 6% received morphine-like medications that they did not need before surgery.
Chronic knee pain after a new knee is not the only thing to take into account. According to Dutch research, young (under 60 years old), active patients have a 15% chance that the knee prosthesis will not last 5 years.
These results are not uncommon. Pain after a joint prosthesis is therefore a common and disabling problem.
Our approach
We specialise in the non-surgical treatment of joint wear. We believe that all patients with knee and hip osteoarthritis should first receive the fullest possible non-surgical treatment. Surgery is a major procedure; that is why it makes sense to use the options without surgery first.
Recognizable symptoms
- Knee pain that persists even after a knee prosthesis
- Still need painkillers or anti-inflammatories after surgery
- A knee prosthesis that did not eliminate the pain
Sources
Independent information from Thuisarts.nl, the patient website of the Dutch College of General Practitioners (in Dutch).
