Depressed patients feel more pain in the short term after total knee arthroplasty.

PURPOSE: The hypothesis of this study was that depressive patients feel more pain in the immediate TKA postoperative period in comparison with non-depressed patients.

METHODS: The diagnosis of depression was made with the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form. The Visual Analogic Score (VAS) was registered each 8 h during the first 3 days. The mean and maximum VAS and the number of analgesic rescues required in this period were calculated in 803 consecutive TKAs. The Knee Society Score (KSS), the Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) scores were obtained preoperatively and at the 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS: Forty-eight (6%) of these patients were considered depressed. The results obtained in the depressed patients and non-depressed were, respectively, mean VAS (2.0 vs 1.0, p = 0.00), maximum VAS (5.3 vs 1.6, p = 0.00), and number of rescues needed (4.4 vs 1.8, p = 0.00). Although depressed patients scored worse in the functional and quality of life scores in the preoperative period, the improvement obtained (1-year outcomes minus preoperative outcomes) in the different scores was similar in both groups with the exception of the mental domain of the SF-36, which improved further in depressed patients (p = 0.00).

CONCLUSION: Depressed patients feel more pain in the immediate postoperative period. However, the improvement obtained in functional and referred quality of life scores is similar to non-depressed patients.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II.