IngentaConnect Chronic pain following total hip arthroplasty: a nationwide quest...

Authors: Nikolajsen, L.; Brandsborg, B.¹; Lucht, U.²; Jensen, T. S.¹; Kehlet, H.³

Source: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, Volume 50, Number 4, April 2006 , pp. 495-500(6)

Abstract:

Background:

Chronic post-operative pain is a well-recognized problem after various types of surgery, but little is known about chronic pain after orthopedic surgery. Severe pre-operative pain is the primary indication for total hip arthroplasty (THA). Therefore, we examined the prevalence of chronic pain after THA in relation to pre-operative pain and early post-operative pain. Methods:

A questionnaire was sent to 1231 consecutive patients who had undergone THA 12–18 months previously, and whose operations had been reported to the Danish Hip Arthroplasty Registry. Results:

The response rate was 93.6%. Two hundred and ninety-four patients (28.1%) had chronic ipsilateral hip pain at the time of completion of the questionnaire, and pain limited daily activities to a moderate, severe or very severe degree in 12.1%. The chronic pain state was related to the recalled intensity of early post-operative pain [95% confidence interval (CI), 20.4–33.4%] and pain complaints from other sites of the body (95% CI, 20.7–32.1%), but not to the pre-operative intensity of pain. Conclusion:

Chronic pain after THA seems to be a significant problem in at least 12.1% of patients. Our results suggest that genetic and psychosocial factors are important for the development of chronic post-THA pain.

Keywords: chronic pain; post-operative pain; risk factors; total hip arthroplasty (THA)

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2006.00976.x

Affiliations: 1: Danish Pain Research Center and 2: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, and 3: Section of Surgical Pathophysiology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark

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Chronic pain following total hip arthroplasty: a nationwide questionnaire study