Social Isolation Linked to More Pain After Hip Replacement

US News and World Report—October 26, 2013

People without social support may experience more pain years after surgery, according to researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery. Their study found that socially isolated patients were almost three times more likely than those with good social support to have serious, ongoing pain two or more years after hip replacement surgery. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

"We believe further prospective studies should be done to determine whether interventions to evaluate and improve patients' social ties before surgery could lead to a better pain outcome after hip replacement," said study author Dr. Lisa Mandl. "It could be a way to improve outcomes without medication or other costly interventions. I see no downside to helping patients get the social support they may need to improve their quality of life.”

Read the full story at health.usnews.com.