Lower back pain can resolve in fully 82% of arthritis patients after hip replacement surgery, orthopedist-researchers have found.
Among 500 patients studied, 41% had verified lower back pain before undergoing total hip arthroplasty. At follow-up a year or more later, investigators found that patients in this group overwhelmingly reported that the pain had disappeared.
This bonus outcome is most likely in patients who retain flexible spines and whose back pain is caused by hip osteoarthritis, said study author Jonathan M. Vigdorchik, M.D., from the Hospital of Special Surgery, New York City.
“There is a complex interplay in the hip-spine relationship where back pain may be caused by abnormal mechanics from hip osteoarthritis,” he wrote.
In contrast, patients who have stiff, degenerative spines may not experience relief. In those cases, the spinal arthritis problem has far exceeded any related hip issues, he concluded.
The study abstract is viewable online as part of the AAOS 2020 Virtual Education Experience.
