[Pain following primary total knee replacement: causes, diagnosis and treatment]

Total knee prosthesis (TKP) placement is a successful treatment for patients with disabling osteoarthritis of the knee. Despite good results, there is a large group of patients who are not satisfied following the procedure. Men, young patients and patients with chronic pain are more often satisfied after TKP placement, as are patients with a higher social status, better mental-health status and lower preoperative pain scores. The diagnostic workup for patients suffering pain after TKP placement is labour intensive, and should be carried out in a systematic manner. Treatment of pain varies per individual, ranging from medication and physiotherapy to revision surgery. There is limited data on how many patients do actually experience pain reduction following treatment.