Literature review of the causes of pain following total knee replacement surgery: prosthesis, inflammation and arthrofibrosis

Adverse knee pain occurs in 10–34% of all total knee replacements (TKR), and 20% of TKR patients experience more pain post-operatively than pre-operatively. Knee pain is amongst the top five reasons for knee replacement revision in the United Kingdom. The number of TKRs is predicted to continue increasing due to the ageing population. A narrative literature review was performed on the different causes of pain following TKR. A database search on Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar was conducted to look for articles related to TKR, pain, and cause. Articles were selected based on relevance, publication date, quality of research and validation. Relevant sections were added to the review. One hundred and fourteen articles were identified and potential causes of TKR pain included: arthrofibrosis, aseptic loosening, avascular necrosis, central sensitization, component malpositioning, infection, instability, nerve damage, overstuffing, patellar maltracking, polyethylene wear, psychological factors and unresurfaced patella. It is important to tailor our approach to address the individual causes of pain. Certain controllable risk factors can be managed pre-operatively to minimize post-operative pain. Risk factors help to predict adverse pain outcomes and identify specific causes. There are multiple causes of pain following TKR. Some factors will require further extensive studies, and as pain is a commonly attributed reason for TKR revision, its underlying aetiologies should be explored. Understanding these factors helps to develop effective methods for diagnosis, prevention and management of TKR pain, which help to improve patient outcomes. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:534-543. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.5.200031