Association between the level of functional independence and the subjective experience of pain in older adults after hip replacement

• Published in: Fisioterapia e pesquisa 2023, Vol.30
• Main Authors: Silva, Jefferson Carlos Araujo, Caland, Liana Mayara Queiroz, Paiva, Tamara Augusta Ferreira de, Oliveira, Murilo Rezende, Bezerra, Lídia Mara Aguiar, Cavalcante, Tamires Barradas
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; por
• Subjects: ORTHOPEDICS; REHABILITATION
• ISSN: 1809-2950; 2316-9117; 2316-9117
• DOI: 10.1590/1809-2950/e22012823en

ABSTRACT Hip replacement (HR) is a surgery that replaces the injured joint with a prosthesis. The postoperative period can reduce functional independence and affect the subjective experience of pain in older adults. This study evaluated the association between the level of functional independence and the subjective experience of pain in older adults who underwent HR. This cross-sectional descriptive quantitative association study used the functional independence measure (FIM) to assess the level of functional independence and the visual analogue scale (VAS) to analyze the subjective experience of pain. Spearman’s correlation test was used to evaluate the association between FIM and VAS and simple linear regression to analyze the influence of one variable on another (p≤0.05). This study evaluated 48 older adults, with a mean age of 71.5±9 years, of which 37.5% (n=18) were men and 62.5% (n=30) were women. The mean VAS and FIM values were 3.5 (±1.6) and 107 (±17.82), respectively, and they had a significant and inverse association (p=0.006; r=−0.389; R2=0.142). This study showed an inversely proportional relationship between the subjective experience of pain and the level of functional independence in older patients who underwent HR. Therefore, health professionals should pay more attention to pain in these patients in order to optimize their functional recovery and increase their functional independence. RESUMEN La artroplastia de cadera (AC) es un procedimiento quirúrgico que reemplaza la articulación lesionada por una prótesis. El postoperatorio puede reducir la independencia funcional y afectar la percepción subjetiva del dolor en el anciano. Este estudio evaluó la asociación entre el nivel de independencia funcional y la percepción subjetiva del dolor en ancianos sometidos a AC. Se trata de un estudio transversal, descriptivo, cuantitativo y de asociación. La medida de independencia funcional (MIF) se utilizó para evaluar el nivel de independencia funcional, y la escala visual analógica (EVA), para estimar la percepción subjetiva del dolor. Se aplicaron la prueba de correlación de Spearman para verificar la asociación entre MIF y EVA, y una regresión lineal simple para analizar la influencia de una variable sobre la otra (p≤0,05). Participaron 48 ancianos, de edad media de 71,5±9 años; de los cuales el 37,5% (n=18) eran del sexo masculino y el 62,5% (n=30) del sexo femenino. La media de la evaluación de EVA fue de 3,5 (±1,6), mientras que la de MIF, de 1