Can We Help Patients Forget Their Joint? Determining a Threshold for Successful Outcome for the Forgotten Joint Score
Authors
Rosinsky PJ, Chen JW, Lall AC, Shapira J, Maldonado DR, Domb BG
DOI: 10.1016/j.arth.2019.08.014
Background
The Forgotten Joint Score (FJS) is a tool used to assess patients' ability to "forget" their joint after hip replacement surgery, with higher scores indicating better outcomes. This study aimed to determine the threshold for a successful outcome using the FJS.
Methods
The study analyzed 247 patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA). The FJS was used to measure joint awareness, with thresholds for success calculated at 1 and 2 years post-surgery.
Key Findings
The FJS threshold for a successful outcome was 73.96 at 1 year and 69.79 at 2 years. The study also found that most patients continued to improve in their FJS scores up to 2 years after surgery.
Conclusions
The FJS is an accurate measure of success following THA. Patients who scored above the threshold showed successful outcomes, with many continuing to improve after 1 year.
What Does This Mean for Patients
If you’ve had a hip replacement, achieving a higher FJS score (above 73 at 1 year and 69 at 2 years) indicates a successful outcome, meaning you can likely forget about your hip due to minimal symptoms.