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Assessment and management of chronic pain in patients with stable total hip arthroplasty

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Abstract

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most successful operations that can restore function and relieve pain. Although a majority of the patients achieve significant pain relief after THA, there are a number of patients that develop chronic pain for unknown reasons. A literature search was performed looking for chronic pain after total hip arthroplasty and stable THA. Major causes of chronic pain include aseptic loosening or infection. However, there is a subset of patients with a stable THA that present with chronic pain which can have several aetiologies. These include soft tissue, bony, neurological, vascular and psychological causes. Essential for successful treatment is the ability to make the correct diagnosis. Thus therapy may be either non-operative or operative. In addition, diagnosis and management often may require multidisciplinary approaches to successfully alleviate chronic pain in these patients with a stable prosthesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany

    Tim Classen, Stefan Landgraeber & Marcus Jäger

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Daniela Zaps

  3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Harvard University Medical School (MGH/BWH), Harvard, MA, USA

    Xinning Li

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  1. Tim Classen
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  2. Daniela Zaps
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  3. Stefan Landgraeber
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Correspondence to Tim Classen.

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Classen, T., Zaps, D., Landgraeber, S. et al. Assessment and management of chronic pain in patients with stable total hip arthroplasty. International Orthopaedics (SICOT) 37, 1–7 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00264-012-1711-6

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