Researchers recently conducted a series of thought exercises (which use a hypothetical scenario to study reality) to estimate the impact of total joint replacement on national disability in senior citizens over the age of 65.

These thought exercises were completed by combining estimates of the 1-year impact of TJR on disability in senior citizens as measured by the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ, a measure of functional ability in which patients assess themselves) with estimates of the increasing use of hip and knee replacements across the U.S.

483 patients who underwent TJR were selected from the Arthritis, Rheumatism, and Aging Medical Information System, and researchers reviewed their pre-and-post surgery HAQ scores.

The results showed that TJR offers improvement in HAQ scores and an approximate 20 percent reduction of pain at 1-year after surgery. After reviewing the results, researchers were able to conclude that increasing TJR use accounts for approximately four to five percent of the national decline in disability among senior citizens.

“We were surprised that the impact of pain was so impressive, even over that of the change in disability in people who have had a joint replacement,” said Eliza Chakravarty, MD, MS; assistant professor, Stanford University School of Medicine; and investigator in the study. “This data would not be captured in the nationwide observations of the decline in disability over the past few decades, but is consistent with our clinical observations of the dramatic effect of pain relief associated with total joint replacement.”

The ACR is an organization of and for physicians, health professionals, and scientists that advances rheumatology through programs of education, research, advocacy and practice support that foster excellence in the care of people with or at risk for arthritis and rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases.