Peer Reviewed
Case studies

A case of chronic pain after hip replacement surgery

Eric J Visser, Tim Mitchell
Abstract

A pain specialist and physiotherapist discuss their own particular aspect of care of this patient with chronic pain following a total hip replacement.

Key Points
    • Risk factors for chronic postsurgical pain following total hip replacement include chronic hip pain before surgery, female gender, increased body mass index, anxiety and depression.
    • Effective pain management in this case requires a multimodal, multidisciplinary approach.
    • Consistent communication between healthcare professionals can positively influence outcome in individuals with chronic pain.
    • Pain management starts with screening for surgical complications and red flag conditions.
    • Trialling nerve blocks and musculoskeletal injections with local anaesthetic and corticosteroids may help identify and treat ‘pain generators’ in the hip region.
    • The patient should be referred to a physiotherapist for functional rehabilitation.
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