Better Sex With THR and TKR

As if arthritis sufferers need another reason to get a hip or knee replaced, research presented to the 2013 annual American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) meeting found that joint replacement improved sexual function for 90% of the recipients. For the study 147 patients under the age of 70 who were scheduled for either a hip (THR-total hip arthroplasty) or knee (TKR-total knee arthroplasty) replacement agreed to participate. They filled out three questionnaires—one prior to their surgery, another at six months and a final one a year post surgery. Sixty-five percent of the patients completed all three surveys.

The group of patients included 68 men and 78 women with a mean age of 57.7 years. Prior to their surgery, 67% of the patients reported physical problems with sexual activity. Their problems broke down to 67% pain, 36% stiffness; 49% reduced libido; and 14% inability to attain a proper position. Ninety-one percent of the participating patients reported psychological issues related to their osteoarthritis including 91% diminished general well-being, and 53%, diminished sexual self-image.

Following the surgery, 42% of the patients reported an improvement in libido; 41% reported increased intercourse duration; and 41% reported increased intercourse frequency. Eighty-four percent of the patients reported improvement in their general well-being, and 55% improvement in their sexual self-image.

Sixteen percent of patients reported that their joint replacement surgery adversely affected their sexual function, which was primarily due to a fear of damaging the replaced joint. Overall, 90% of THR and TKR patients reported improved overall sexual function, with a slightly higher rate of improvement after THR than TKR. More females reported improvement after THR than did males