Joint pain without a joint? An investigation into the nature of postsurgical pain following joint replacement

Evaluating the presence and nature of postsurgical pain in people undergoing total knee replacements - an observational study

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ANZCTR

Registry ID

ACTRN12614000369628

Enrollment

Registered

2014-04-07

Start date

2014-07-24

Completion date

2017-08-07

Last updated

2021-10-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

One of the most common treatments for severe osteoarthritis is to undergo surgery and receive a total joint replacement (the painful joint is removed and a plastic or metal joint is put in its place). Many people have a good response to this treatment and their pain is reduced. However, there is a group of people who have a poor response to this treatment and continue to have pain in the joint, despite the joint being replaced. We do not know what causes this pain. This study aims to see how common it is in people with osteoarthritis to have pain in the knee following surgery to replace the knee joint. We are also interested in determining what type of pain this might be. One theory is that it may be a type of pain called neuropathic pain, or in other words, pain due to problems with the nerves supplying the leg. Another theory is that the pain might occur because of specific changes in brain function. Finding out how common it is to have persistent pain after joint replacement and what type of pain it is, is important because it will allow us to better predict who will do well and who will not, and to prevent and treat the problem.

Interventions

This observational study aims to evaluate an inception cohort of participants that are about to undergo total knee arthroplasty due to osteoathritis. Participants will be assessed prior to surgery and then followed one year post-surgery.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Patient attending Wakefield Orthopaedic Clinic or The Queen Elizabeth Hospital to undergo a total knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis.

Exclusion criteria

Patients undergoing a revision surgery for Osteoarthritis. Patients undergoing joint replacement for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Patients who have had an athroscopy (in the last 6 months) of the joint that will be replaced. Patients with a neurological disorder affecting the lower limb (ie, stroke/traumatic brain injury that results in reduced lower limb function; multiple sclerosis; peripheral nerve injury affecting the lower limb). Patients who have an inability to communicate or understand the English language (project funding for interpreter services is not available). Patients with difficulties in general communication and understanding (ie, dementia, Alzheimer’s).

Outcome results