Are patient's post-surgical expectations too high?

Patient expectations following total knee or total hip arthroplasty generally revolve around them regaining total joint function and experiencing no pain, it has been claimed.

However, the actual number that have surgery which results in this level of recovery is far lower.

According to a study by researchers in Germany, just 63 per cent of those who underwent total hip or total knee arthroplasty surgery consider their expectations to have been met or exceeded three years after being operated on.

Moreover, the researchers, from the University of Heidelberg's Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, said that a large number of total hip arthroplasty patients had a high negative correlation between their expectations and their clinical scores – the lower their scores the less likely their expectations were to be fulfilled.

However, the scientists added: "In our study, the 37 per cent of patients whose expectations had not been fulfilled did not exhibit a lower postoperative functioning than those who were satisfied."

A recent paper published in Arthritis Care & Research noted that self-management in osteoarthritis patients could substantially improve their pain scores.

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