Incidence and Location of Pain in Young, Active Patients Following Hip Arthroplasty

Persistent pain following hip arthroplasty remains a concern, especially in young, active patients. Four hundred twenty patients less than 60 years of age with a pre-symptomatic UCLA score ≥ 6 (196 total hip arthroplasty [THA]; 224 surface replacement arthroplasty [SRA]) completed a pain-drawing questionnaire investigating the location, severity, and frequency of pain around the hip. At a mean of 2.9 years of follow-up, 40% reported pain in at least one location around the hip. There was no difference in the incidence of groin pain between SRA and THA patients (32% vs. 29%, P = 0.6), but THA patients had a greater incidence of anterior (25% vs. 8%, P < 0.001) and lateral (20% vs. 10%, P = 0.01) thigh pain. A high percentage of young, active patients experience persistent pain following hip arthroplasty.