Researchers compared preoperative and postoperative function and pain following total joint replacement in obese patients, according to a study published by The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
The study included 2,040 patients who underwent total hip replacement and 2,964 patients who underwent total knee replacement between May 2011 and March 2013. Researchers defined patients in one of the following categories:
• Under or normal weight
• Overweight
• Obese
• Severely obese
• Morbidly obese
Here are six takeaways:
1. The study revealed patients with a greater obesity level undergoing THR correlated with a lower Physical Component Summary score both at baseline and six-months post-operation.
2. THR patients categorized as severely and morbidly obese presented less postoperative functional gain compared to the other BMI groups.
3. THR patients with greater obesity had more pain at baseline, but more postoperative pain relief.
4. TKR patients with a greater obesity level also correlated with a lower Physical Component Summary score both at baseline and six-months post-operation.
5. TKR patients with greater obesity levels also had more pain at baseline, but more postoperative pain relief.
6. At six-months post-operation, researchers concluded severely or morbidly obese patients had "excellent pain relief and substantial functional gain that was similar to the findings in other patients."