The study, led by Tae Kyun Kim, MD, director of the division of knee surgery and sports medicine at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, evaluated 660 patients 65 years or older for the severity of their knee arthritis. The researchers found that the levels of pain attributed to knee arthritis were higher in patients whose X-rays indicated more joint damage. Depressive disorders were also associated with increased pain in patients with mild to moderate knee arthritis, even when the X-ray didn’t show significant damage.
Dr. Kim said orthopedic surgeons should be aware of potential depression in their patients when treating arthritis, according to an American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons news release.
“Despite the reported satisfactory outcomes of knee replacement surgery, a percentage of patients still experience knee pain and impaired movement,” Dr. Kim said. “Sometimes pain and disability after surgery is medically unexplained, so in these patients screening for depression might be a good option.”
Read the abstract about depression among knee arthritis patients.
Read the AAOS release about knee arthritis.
Read other coverage on knee arthritis:
– UPMC Researchers Study Correlation Between ACL Repair Surgery and Knee Arthritis
– Study: Biologic Knee Replacement Could Most Efficiently Slow Arthritis Progression
