Total knee arthroplasty, what to expect? A survey of the members of the Dutch Knee Society on long-term recovery after total knee arthroplasty

Abstract

Introduction

The rate of satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is consistently reported around 80%, leaving 1 in 5 patients unsatisfied to some extent. Fulfillment of expectations is reported as the strongest predictor of treatment satisfaction. In this study we aimed to evaluate what Dutch orthopedic surgeons assume are realistic expectations for recovery 1 year after TKA.

Methods

We invited the members of the Dutch Knee Society to fill out a web-based questionnaire. For expectation measurement the validated Dutch version of the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee replacement expectations survey was used.

Results

150 invitations were successfully sent. 84 orthopedic surgeons responded (56%). The overall HSS knee replacement expectation score was 66.0 (SD 14.0) on a 0-100 scale. Most improvement was predicted for the items “pain relief” and “walking short distances”. Expectations related to patients’ ability to kneel or squat after TKA were scored poorly. 

Conclusion

To the opinion of the members of the Dutch Knee Society, after TKA improvement can be expected in domains of pain, function, activities and psychological wellbeing. Return to normal is not likely to occur, especially in demanding physical activities.